1960 in baseball

Last updated September 28, 2025

The following are the baseball events of the year 1960 throughout the world.

Champions

Major League Baseball

World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over New York Yankees (4–3); Bobby Richardson, MVP
All-Star Game (#1), July 11 at Municipal Stadium: National League, 5–3
All-Star Game (#2), July 13 at Yankee Stadium: National League, 6–0

Awards and honors

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award	National League	American League
Rookie of the Year	Frank Howard (LA)	Ron Hansen (BAL)
Cy Young Award	Vern Law (PIT)	—
Most Valuable Player	Dick Groat (PIT)	Roger Maris (NY)
Gold Glove Awards
Position	National League	American League
Pitcher	Harvey Haddix (PIT)	Bobby Shantz (NY)
Catcher	Del Crandall (MIL)	Earl Battey (WSH)
1st Base	Bill White (STL)	Vic Power (CLE)
2nd Base	Bill Mazeroski (PIT)	Nellie Fox (CWS)
3rd Base	Ken Boyer (STL)	Brooks Robinson (BAL)
Shortstop	Ernie Banks (CHC)	Luis Aparicio (CWS)
Left field	Wally Moon (LA)	Minnie Miñoso (CWS)
Center field	Willie Mays (SF)	Jim Landis (CWS)
Right field	Hank Aaron (MIL)	Roger Maris (NY)

Statistical leaders

	American League		National League
Stat	Player	Total	Player	Total
AVG	Pete Runnels (BOS)	.320	Dick Groat (PIT)	.325
HR	Mickey Mantle (NY)	40	Ernie Banks (CHC)	41
RBI	Roger Maris (NY)	112	Hank Aaron (MIL)	126
W	Chuck Estrada (BAL) Jim Perry (CLE)	18	Ernie Broglio (STL) Warren Spahn (MIL)	21
ERA	Frank Baumann (CWS)	2.67	Mike McCormick (SF)	2.70
K	Jim Bunning (DET)	201	Don Drysdale (LA)	246

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

v
t
e
American League
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
New York Yankees	97	57	.630	—	55‍–‍22	42‍–‍35
Baltimore Orioles	89	65	.578	8	44‍–‍33	45‍–‍32
Chicago White Sox	87	67	.565	10	51‍–‍26	36‍–‍41
Cleveland Indians	76	78	.494	21	39‍–‍38	37‍–‍40
Washington Senators	73	81	.474	24	32‍–‍45	41‍–‍36
Detroit Tigers	71	83	.461	26	40‍–‍37	31‍–‍46
Boston Red Sox	65	89	.422	32	36‍–‍41	29‍–‍48
Kansas City Athletics	58	96	.377	39	34‍–‍43	24‍–‍53

Orioles

Red Sox

White Sox

Indians

Tigers

Athletics

Yankees

Senators

Locations of teams for the 1955–1960 American League seasons

American League

National League final standings

v
t
e
National League
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Pittsburgh Pirates	95	59	.617	—	52‍–‍25	43‍–‍34
Milwaukee Braves	88	66	.571	7	51‍–‍26	37‍–‍40
St. Louis Cardinals	86	68	.558	9	51‍–‍26	35‍–‍42
Los Angeles Dodgers	82	72	.532	13	42‍–‍35	40‍–‍37
San Francisco Giants	79	75	.513	16	45‍–‍32	34‍–‍43
Cincinnati Reds	67	87	.435	28	37‍–‍40	30‍–‍47
Chicago Cubs	60	94	.390	35	33‍–‍44	27‍–‍50
Philadelphia Phillies	59	95	.383	36	31‍–‍46	28‍–‍49

Cubs

Reds

Dodgers

Braves

Phillies

Pirates

Giants

Cardinals

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Locations of teams for the 1960–1961 National League seasons

National League

Nippon Professional Baseball final standings

Central League final standings

Central League	G	W	L	T	Pct.	GB
Taiyo Whales	130	70	56	4	.554	—
Yomiuri Giants	130	66	61	3	.519	4.5
Osaka Tigers	130	64	62	4	.508	6.0
Hiroshima Carp	130	62	61	7	.504	6.5
Chunichi Dragons	130	63	67	0	.485	9.0
Kokutetsu Swallows	130	54	72	4	.431	16.0

Pacific League final standings

Pacific League	G	W	L	T	Pct.	GB
Daimai Orions	133	82	48	3	.631	—
Nankai Hawks	136	78	52	6	.600	4.0
Nishitetsu Lions	136	70	60	6	.538	12.0
Hankyu Braves	136	65	65	6	.500	17.0
Toei Flyers	132	52	78	2	.400	30.0
Kintetsu Buffaloes	131	43	87	1	.331	39.0

Events

January

January 5 – The Continental League—the proposed third major league in North American professional baseball—gets an assurance of Congressional support from U.S. Senator Kenneth Keating, a New York Republican, who offers to serve as "an informal mediator, day or night" on behalf of the start-up circuit.^[2]
January 11 – Centerfielder Richie Ashburn, the "heart and soul" of the Philadelphia Phillies for a dozen seasons, is traded to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher John Buzhardt, shortstop Alvin Dark and third baseman Jim Woods. Three years later, he will return as a member of the Phillies' broadcasting team and remain until his death in 1997.^[3]
January 26 – Reigning American League runs batted in champion and 1958 MVP Jackie Jensen, 32, announces his retirement from the Boston Red Sox because of airplane flight phobia. Jensen is a three-time All-Star as well as a three-time RBI champ (1955 and 1958, in addition to 1959), and the incumbent Gold Glove Award-winning rightfielder for the Junior Circuit. He will sit out the 1960 season, return to the Red Sox with diminished skills in 1961, then retire for good.^[4]
January 29 – The Continental League grants its eighth and final franchise to Buffalo. For the Western New York metropolis, the proposed 1961 debut of the CL would restore Major League Baseball to the city for the first time since 1915, when the Buffalo Blues and the upstart Federal League disbanded.

February

Brooklyn's brand-new Ebbets Field in 1913.

February 4 – For the second straight election, the BBWAA voters fail to elect a new member to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Edd Roush gets 146 votes, but 202 are necessary for election. Sam Rice (143) and Eppa Rixey (142) are next in line.
February 15 – In Caribbean Series action, the Elefantes de Cienfuegos completes a 6–0 sweep to give the Cuban team the Series championship for the fifth straight year. Camilo Pascual, who went 2–0 with 15 strikeouts including a one-hit shutout in the clincher, is named Most Valuable Player.
February 18 – Walter O'Malley, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, finalizes the purchase of the Chavez Ravine area in Los Angeles by paying $494,000 for property valued at $92,000.
February 20 – Branch Rickey meets with officials of the proposed Western Carolinas League about pooling talent for Continental League clubs.
February 23 – Demolition of Ebbets Field begins. Lucy Monroe sings the National Anthem, and wheelchair-bound Roy Campanella is given an urn of dirt from behind home plate.

March

March 12 – The Cincinnati Reds sign Cuban prospect Tony Pérez, 17, as an amateur free agent. Pérez will go on to be a seven time all-star and key member of the Big Red Machine of the 1970s and he'll be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
March 13 – The Chicago White Sox unveil new road uniforms with the players' names above the number on the back, another innovation by Sox owner Bill Veeck.
March 16 – In the midst of spring training, the Cleveland Indians trade catcher Russ Nixon to the Boston Red Sox for former All-Star catcher Sammy White and first baseman Jim Marshall. On March 25, White—who has opened a bowling alley in Boston—announces his retirement at age 32, cancelling the trade.
March 24 – Commissioner Ford Frick says he will not allow the Continental League to pool players in the Western Carolinas League as it would violate existing major-minor league agreements.
March 26 – A Baltimore Orioles–Cincinnati Reds series scheduled for Havana, is moved to Miami by Baltimore club president Lee MacPhail. The Reds, with a farm club in Cuba, want the trip, but the Orioles fear increased political unrest in the area.^[5] Thirty-nine years later, in March 1999, the Orioles will attempt to thaw the 39-year-old estrangement between Cuba and MLB by playing an exhibition game in Havana against the Cuban national team.
March 31 – By a vote of 8–1, the Professional Baseball Rules Committee turns down a Pacific Coast League proposal to use a designated hitter for the pitcher.

April

April 1 – The Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees agree to a four-player trade that features three "players to be named later." In it, the Reds deal catcher Jesse Gonder and pitchers Luis Arroyo (PTBNL) and Ted Wieand (PTBNL) to New York for pitcher Zach Monroe (PTBNL) and cash. The trade is significant because southpaw Arroyo, 33, will develop into the Yankees' bullpen ace in 1961, going 15–5 (2.19) with a league-leading 29 saves in 65 games pitched during the regular season, and capture a victory in Game 3 of the 1961 World Series (against the Reds), a Fall Classic that Arroyo's Yankees will win in five games.
April 3–4 – The Washington Senators make two trades on back-to-back days. On April 3, they deal lefthanded-hitting catcher Clint Courtney and infielder Ron Samford to the Baltimore Orioles for second baseman Billy Gardner. Then, on the fourth, they send four-time AL All-Star first baseman Roy Sievers to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Earl Battey, first baseman Don Mincher and $150,000.^[6]
April 5 – The San Francisco Giants purchase first baseman Dale Long from the Chicago Cubs.^[7]
April 8 – The Los Angeles Dodgers deal veteran infielder Don Zimmer to the Chicago Cubs for left-hander Ron Perranoski, infielder Johnny Goryl and minor-league outfielder Lee Handley. Perranoski, then hurling in Triple-A, will debut with the Dodgers in 1961 and become a leading member of their bullpen through 1967.
April 12:
- In the National League's traditional Opening Day contest, the homestanding Cincinnati Reds defeat the rebuilding Philadelphia Phillies, 9–4. Following the game, veteran Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer resigns, saying, "I'm 49 years old, and I want to live to be fifty." After coach Andy Cohen handles the Phils for one game on April 14, Gene Mauch, skipper of the Boston Red Sox' top farm club in Minneapolis, gets the Phillies' permanent job on April 16. At 34, Mauch becomes the youngest manager in the majors.^[8]
- With 42,269 fans in attendance, the San Francisco Giants edge the St. Louis Cardinals, 3–1, in the first game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. Sam Jones pitches a three-hitter, and Cardinals outfielder Leon Wagner hits the first home run in the $15 million stadium.
- Chuck Essegian belts an 11th-inning pinch-hit home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 3–2, before a record Opening Day crowd (67,550) at Los Angeles. The home run is Essegian's third straight as a pinch hitter, including two in the 1959 World Series. Don Drysdale pitches all the way, striking out 14, for the win over Don Elston.
- In a deal that will haunt the Cleveland Indians, general manager Frank Lane sends Norm Cash to the Detroit Tigers for third baseman Steve Demeter. Cash will be Detroit's regular first baseman for the next 14 years and will hit 373 home runs for them. Demeter will play four games for Cleveland.

April 17:
- On Easter Sunday, GM Frank Lane brings AL batting champ Harvey Kuenn to the Cleveland Indians and sends co-home run champ Rocky Colavito to the Detroit Tigers. Colavito, an unparalleled fan favorite in Cleveland, will hit 173 home runs before returning to Cleveland in 1965. Kuenn will report to Cleveland, pull a muscle, and never be the same hitter. He'll be traded after one season.
- Eddie Mathews of the Milwaukee Braves hits his 300th home run, plus a double and a triple, as Milwaukee beats the Philadelphia Phillies, 8–4. To date, only Jimmie Foxx has hit his 300th at a younger age.
April 18:
- In the American League opener at Washington, D.C., a week later than the National League start, President Dwight D. Eisenhower throws out the first ball, then watches the Senators' Camilo Pascual strike out 15 Boston Red Sox batters to tie Walter Johnson's team record. Boston's only run in a 10–1 loss is a Ted Williams home run, which makes Williams the first player to hit a home run in four different decades.
- Trader Frank Lane continues to swap, sending Cleveland favorite Herb Score to the Chicago White Sox for Barry Latman. Score and Rocky Colavito, traded three days before, are the last two players to pre-date Lane's arrival in Cleveland.
- Angered by "Organized Baseball's" mounting opposition to recognizing the start-up Continental League, CL president Branch Rickey avers that his league will "raid" MLB rosters for playing talent if necessary. If the CL is forced to operate "outside the canopy of the procedures of baseball," he says, "we will sign [players] [from] anywhere."^[9] Rickey had previously advocated cooperating with "organized ball".
April 19:
- Before a home crowd of 41,661, Minnie Miñoso celebrates his return to the Chicago White Sox with a fourth-inning grand slam against the Kansas City Athletics. Leading off the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 9–9, Miñoso (who, coincidentally, wears uniform #9) hits a solo homer for his sixth RBI to win the game.
- On Patriot's Day at Fenway Park, Roger Maris makes his debut with the New York Yankees as he goes 4-for-5, including two home runs with four RBI. The Yankees spoil the Boston Red Sox opener with an 8–4 win.
- The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians play the longest season opener in major-league history, a 15-inning affair won by the Tigers 4–2 at Cleveland Stadium.
April 23 – The Chicago White Sox release veteran and fan favorite Alfonso "Chico" Carrasquel, who'd returned to the Pale Hose as a free agent on January 9. The 34-year-old Venezuelan, who made four AL All-Star teams during his 1950–1955 tenure on the South Side, is released without playing in a single 1960 game. He'll hook on with the Triple-A Montreal Royals for 35 games this year, his last in "Organized Baseball".
April 24 – The New York Yankees score eight runs against the Baltimore Orioles in the bottom half of the first before the first out is recorded. Though the Orioles stage a comeback, thanks in part to an eighth-inning grand slam by Albie Pearson and a ninth-inning grand slam by Billy Klaus, the Yankees hold on for a 15–9 home win.
April 29 – At home, the St. Louis Cardinals crush the Chicago Cubs, 16–6. Stan Musial plays his 1,000th game at first base, becoming the first major league player ever with that many at two positions (1,513 games in the outfield). A bright spot for the Cubs is Ernie Banks hitting two home runs to break Gabby Hartnett's club record of 231 homers.

May

May 1 – Skinny Brown of the Baltimore Orioles pitches a 4–1 win over the Yankees. Brown allows just one hit, a first-inning home run by Mickey Mantle. Rookie Ron Hansen matches Mantle to up his RBI total to an American League high 32.
May 4:
- The Chicago Cubs make a "trade" with flagship radio station WGN (AM), plucking Lou Boudreau out of the broadcast booth to replace Charlie Grimm (6–11) as Cubs manager. "Jolly Cholly" replaces Boudreau behind the mike.^[10] The Cubs win, 5–1, over the Pirates as pitcher Dick Ellsworth gains his first ML victory.
- Baltimore Orioles catcher Gus Triandos sets a pair of American League records with three passed balls in one inning (the sixth) and four in one game, but knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, making a rare start, goes seven innings and gets credit for a 6–4 Baltimore win over the Chicago White Sox. Early Wynn records his 2,000th strikeout in a no-decision effort for Chicago. Triandos' PB mark for an inning will be tied by reserve backstop Myron Ginsberg in six days, and Tom Egan will collect five PBs in 1970 to erase Triandos' name from the top of the list.
May 7:
- Takehiko Bessho becomes the winningest pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball as his Tokyo Giants beat the Hanshin Tigers 6–3. Bessho has 302 wins in the league, one more than Victor Starfin.
- Pitcher Larry Sherry and catcher Norm Sherry of the Los Angeles Dodgers become the 10th sibling battery in ML history. Norman belts an 11th-inning home run to give his reliever brother Larry a 3–2 win against the Phillies.
- Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette allows just one hit in beating the visiting Detroit Tigers, 5–0. Neil Chrisley's double is the only Tigers hit.
- The Dodgers send veteran outfielder Sandy Amorós, a hero of Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, to the Detroit Tigers for first baseman Gail Harris.^[11]
May 10:
- Catcher Joe Ginsberg of the Orioles loses a struggle with Hoyt Wilhelm's knuckleball facing the Athletics, and ties the record set six days earlier by teammate Gus Triandos with three passed balls in one inning.
- Grand slams by Boston Red Sox teammates Vic Wertz and Rip Repulski at Fenway Park give Boston a 9–7 win over the Chicago White Sox. A former National League veteran, Repulski's eighth-inning shot off Don Ferrarese comes on his first American League at bat.
May 11 – Sam Jones pitches a two-hitter and draws a bases-loaded walk for the only run, as the Giants edge the visiting Phillies, 1–0. Jim Owens is the loser.
May 12 – Duplicating Sam Jones' effort of yesterday, the Giants' Jack Sanford pitches a two-hit, 1–0 win over the Phillies. Sanford matches Jones by striking out 11 and walking three.
May 13:
- Dick Groat of the Pittsburgh Pirates goes six-for-six (including three doubles)^[12]—the first National League player since Connie Ryan in 1953 to perform the feat—as Pittsburgh downs the Milwaukee Braves, 8–2.
- Mike McCormick's shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the third straight by San Francisco Giants pitchers, following two-hitters against the Philadelphia Phillies by Sam Jones and Jack Sanford. The first-place Giants have seven straight wins.
- The Philadelphia Phillies suffer their third straight 1–0 shutout, losing to the hosting Cincinnati Reds. The Phillies, losers of back-to-back 1–0 games in San Francisco, tie the major-league record for straight 1–0 losses. Jim O'Toole's win is Cincinnati's ninth straight.
- The Phillies trade first baseman Ed Bouchee and pitcher Don Cardwell to the Chicago Cubs for second baseman Tony Taylor and catcher Cal Neeman.

May 15
- In his first start as a Chicago Cub, two days after being acquired, Don Cardwell pitches a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. Two brilliant, ninth-inning catches by Cub outfielders—right-fielder George Altman off Carl Sawatski, and left-fielder Walt Moryn off Joe Cunningham, the final batter of the contest—preserve Cardwell's gem. Ernie Banks' home run paces the 4–0 win, the first no-hitter against the Cards since May 11, 1919.^[13]
- Pinch hitter Pete Whisenant appears in a Cleveland Indians game minutes after he has been traded to the Washington Senators. Cleveland manager Joe Gordon apparently was unaware of the transaction, but the opposing skipper, Al López of the Chicago White Sox, learns of the infraction and plays the game under protest.^[14]
- Five batters are hit by pitches—three in the same half inning—in the Philadelphia Phillies' 14–3 rout of the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. In the visitors' eighth, with Philadelphia leading 9–1, Phillies Cal Neeman, Ted Lepcio and Gene Conley are all hit by Cincinnati reliever Raúl Sánchez in the midst of a four-run rally. Phillies' manager Gene Mauch charges the mound, a brawl ensues, and benches are cleared, according to a wire-service account of the game^[14], but the official box score lists no ejections from the incident.^[15]
May 17:
- Carl Furillo is released by the Los Angeles Dodgers. A two-time All-Star, Furillo, 38, has been a Dodger since 1946, and his clutch, 12th-inning infield single had delivered the pennant-winning run in Game 2 of the 1959 National League tie-breaker series just the previous season. His release leaves only two 1960 Dodgers—Gil Hodges and Duke Snider—who were teammates of Jackie Robinson during Robinson's rookie 1947 season still on the club's roster.
- The Boston Red Sox trade first baseman Ron Jackson to the Milwaukee Braves for 36-year-old infielder Ray Boone. The towering Jackson, 26, acquired by Boston over the winter to provide much-needed right-handed power, manages only five singles and two doubles in 32 at-bats in a Bosox uniform.
May 19 – The New York Yankees send third baseman Andy Carey to the Kansas City Athletics for outfielder Bob Cerv. Cerv had been with the Yankees for five years before going to Kansas City, where he hit 38 home runs in 1958 and was chosen as the American League left fielder in the All-Star game over Ted Williams. Cerv will be claimed in the 1960 expansion draft and the Yankees will again reacquire him.
May 20 – The St. Louis Cardinals sign free-agent southpaw Curt Simmons, 31, who had been released by the Philadelphia Phillies three days earlier. Simmons will recover from arm miseries to win 33 games for the 1963–1964 Redbirds, and earn a 1964 World Series ring.
May 25 – George Crowe of the St. Louis Cardinals sets a major league record with his 11th pinch-hit home run, off Don McMahon, as the Cardinals win, 5–3, over the Braves. Crowe began the season tied with Smoky Burgess and Gus Zernial in most career pinch home runs.
May 27:
- Since there is no rule limiting the size or shape of the catcher's mitt, Baltimore Orioles manager Paul Richards combats the team's passed-ball problem while catching Hoyt Wilhelm (38 in 1959; 11 so far this year) by devising an oversized mitt to gather in Wilhelm's fluttering knuckleball. The mitt—45 inches (1.1 m) in circumference—is half again larger and 40 ounces (1,100 g) heavier than the standard version. Wilhelm goes the distance in beating New York, 3–2, at Yankee Stadium. Catcher Clint Courtney has no passed balls behind the plate.^[16]
- Camilo Pascual strikes out 13 but the Washington Senators lose to the Boston Red Sox, 4–3, his third loss to Boston this year.
May 28:
- Manager Casey Stengel is hospitalized with a virus and high fever and will miss 13 games. The Yankees go 7–6 under interim manager Ralph Houk.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates acquire left-handed starting pitcher Vinegar Bend Mizell from the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Ed Bauta and minor-league second baseman Julián Javier. The trade helps both clubs: Mizell, 29, goes 13–5 (3.12) in 23 starts for an eventual World Series champion; Javier, 23, a future 2x All-Star whose path in Pittsburgh is blocked by Hall-of-Famer Bill Mazeroski—also only 23 years old—helps the Cardinals to three NL pennants between 1964 and 1967 and wins two World Series rings himself.
May 31 – Umpire and former NL outfielder Frank Secory ejects eight members of the Cincinnati Reds—six of them for bench jockeying—in Cincinnati's 11-inning, 4–3 loss to the Pirates at Forbes Field. Seven expulsions occur during the Bucs' winning rally.^[17]

June

June 8:
- Billy Jurges, second-year manager of the last-place Boston Red Sox, leaves the team, citing "illness."^[18] Two days later, Jurges is fired. After coach Del Baker handles the club through June 12, Jurges' predecessor as manager, Pinky Higgins, regains his old job and holds it through the end of the 1962 season.
- Chuck Comiskey, 34-year-old grandson of the Hall of Fame founder of the Chicago White Sox (and a co-founder of the American League), Charles Comiskey, quits as the team's executive vice president. The younger Comiskey has been thwarted in his desire to take over the White Sox, initially by sister Dorothy and then by Bill Veeck, who bought Dorothy's majority share in 1959. Chuck will sell his 46% in 1961, severing his family's official connection with the club.
June 9 – The Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles trade 27-year-old outfielders, with Boston sending Gene Stephens to the Orioles for Willie Tasby. Stephens has spent most of his eight seasons with the Red Sox as a late-inning replacement for Hall-of-Fame left-fielder Ted Williams. Tasby will take over the center-field job and become the Red Sox' first African-American regular position player; he bats .281 in 105 games before they lose him in December's AL expansion draft.
June 12 – In a record-tying three-hour-and-52-minute, nine-inning game, Willie McCovey's pinch-hit grand slam, the first slam of his career, and Orlando Cepeda's three-run double pace the Giants to a 16–7 rout of the Milwaukee Braves.
June 13 – For the second time in three months, the Boston Red Sox acquire catcher Russ Nixon from the Cleveland Indians, this time sending pitcher Ted Bowsfield and outfielder Marty Keough to the Tribe for Nixon and reserve outfielder Carroll Hardy. A March 16 transaction had to be cancelled when former Bosox catcher Sammy White retired rather than report to the Indians.
June 15:
- Mexico City and Poza Rica combine to hit 12 home runs in one game, a Mexican League record.
- The Philadelphia Phillies acquire outfielders Tony González and Lee Walls from the Cincinnati Reds for outfielders Harry Anderson and Wally Post and minor-league first baseman Fred Hopke. González, 23, will become the Phillies' regular centerfielder through 1968 and Post, 30, will contribute to a 1961 NL pennant in his return to Cincinnati.
June 17 – The San Francisco Giants fire fifth-year manager Bill Rigney in the midst of a 4–8 team slump. Surprisingly, they turn to 66-year-old scout Tom Sheehan as their new manager; he becomes the oldest rookie skipper in MLB annals.^[19] The move fizzles, however, as the Giants go only 46–50 under Sheehan and fall out of the National League's first division.

June 19 – In a brilliant pair of pitching performances, Baltimore Orioles pitchers Hoyt Wilhelm and Milt Pappas throw shutouts to beat the host Detroit Tigers in a twin bill. Wilhelm allows two hits in winning the opener, 2–0, over Jim Bunning, and Pappas surrenders three hits in winning the nightcap, 1–0, over Don Mossi. Jim Gentile and Ron Hansen collect home runs; in knuckle-baller Wilhelm's start, catcher Clint Courtney, using the over-sized glove designed by manager Paul Richards, is twice charged with batter interference, the first loading the bases in the fourth inning.
June 24 – Willie Mays belts two home runs and makes ten putouts to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 5–3 win at Cincinnati. Mays adds three RBI, three runs scored, and a single — and steals home.
June 26:
- The Chicago White Sox drub the Boston Red Sox, 21–7, in the second game of a Comiskey Park doubleheader. The Pale Hose's 21 runs are the most by any MLB team in 1960, and their 22 hits are second in the majors to the Pittsburgh Pirates' 23 safeties, put up two weeks earlier.^[20]
- Hoping to speed up the election process, the Hall of Fame changes its voting procedures. The new rules allow the Special Veterans Committee to vote annually, rather than every other year, and to induct up to two players a year. The BBWAA is authorized to hold a runoff election of the top 30 vote getters if no one is elected in the first ballot.
June 29 – The Cleveland Indians buy the contract of pitcher Don Newcombe from the Cincinnati Reds.
June 30 – Dick Stuart blasts three consecutive home runs, as the Pittsburgh Pirates split a twinight doubleheader with the Giants. The first baseman drives in seven runs and joins Ralph Kiner as the second Pirate to hit three home runs in a game at Forbes Field. Stuart also is the only big-leaguer to join the three-homer club in 1960.^[12]

July

July 1 – Bobby Thomson, who hit the famous, pennant-clinching "shot heard 'round the world" while playing for the New York Giants in October 1951, is released by the Boston Red Sox. He is signed three days later by the Baltimore Orioles where he finishes his career.
July 4:
- Mickey Mantle's three-run first-inning home run off Hal Woodeshick is the 300th of his career. Mantle becomes the 18th major leaguer to join the 300-HR club, but the New York Yankees drop a 9–8 decision to the Senators.
- As the MLB campaign approaches its half-way mark, the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates (44–28–1) lead the Milwaukee Braves by 3½ games in the National League. Mantle's Yankees (43–26–1) lead the American League by 1½ lengths over the Cleveland Indians (42–28) with the Baltimore Orioles (44–33) three games out.
July 8:
- The Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro brings an end to Havana's International League team. The Sugar Kings relocate to Jersey City, marking that city's return to the league after a ten-year absence. Poor attendance at Roosevelt Stadium prompts the renamed Jersey City Jerseys, a Cincinnati Reds affiliate, to cease operations following the 1961 season.
- The Reds sign Pete Rose, a Cincinnatian and 19-year-old graduate of Western Hills High School. Rose's uncle, Bud Bloebaum, is the bird-dog scout who calls the Reds' attention to the man who will go on to become baseball's all-time hits leader.
July 9:
- Jim Coates suffers his first loss after nine straight wins, and 14 straight over two seasons, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Yankees, 6–5. The Sox are led by Vic Wertz, who hits a home run, double and single to drive in four runs. Coates' major-league career-record is 17–2.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers release minor league pitcher Tommy Lasorda, 32; he will remain with the team as a scout, then begin his Hall-of-Fame managerial career in rookie ball in 1965.
July 11 – At Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, one-hit shutout pitching by Bob Friend and home runs by Ernie Banks and Del Crandall pace the National League to a 5–4 win over the American League in the first of two All-Star Games. Friend, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, has notched two of the NL's last three All-Star wins.
July 13 – At Yankee Stadium, Vern Law becomes the second Pirates pitcher to win a 1960 All-Star Game, working two scoreless innings. Stan Musial comes off the National League bench and hits his record sixth and last All-Star Game home run. Willie Mays, Ken Boyer and Eddie Mathews also homer in the 6–0 Senior Circuit win, the third shutout in All-Star Game history. Law hurls the first two innings of the combined eight-hit shutout, followed by Johnny Podres, Stan Williams, Larry Jackson, Bill Henry, and Lindy McDaniel. Whitey Ford is the loser.
July 15 – Baltimore Orioles third baseman and future Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson hits for the cycle (and goes five-for-five) in Baltimore's 5–2 triumph over the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park.^[12]
July 18 – Virtually ensuring that New York City will get a second MLB team, the National League votes to expand to ten clubs if the Continental League declines to join "Organized Baseball." The new NL clubs would then invade New York and other CL territories such as Houston and Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Commissioner of Baseball Ford Frick says he can think of no expansion plan that does not include New York, which lost its two NL teams to relocation after the 1957 season.^[21]
July 19:
- In a spectacular major-league debut, Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants pitches no-hit ball until Clay Dalrymple pinch-hit singles with two out in the 7th inning. Marichal winds up with 12 strikeouts and a one-hit 2–0 win against the Phillies, becoming the first National League pitcher since 1900 to debut with a one-hitter.
- Roy Sievers' 21-game hitting streak, the longest for any player this season,^[12] ends, but Chicago White Sox teammate Luis Aparicio's inside-the-park home run and Billy Pierce's shutout beat Boston, 6–0.
- Senators ace Pedro Ramos pitches a one-hit, 5–0 shutout over Detroit. Rocky Colavito's leadoff single in the eighth inning, a grounder that eludes shortstop José Valdivielso, is the lone safety.
July 20 – At Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Mickey Mantle golfs a Gary Bell pitch over the auxiliary scoreboard into the distant upper deck in right field, matching Luke Easter as the only major league players to reach that spot. Cleveland holds on for an 8–6 win over the Yankees.
July 21 – Robin Roberts pitches his third career one-hitter, and the 3rd one-hitter of the season in new Candlestick Park. Felipe Alou spoils Roberts' no-hit bid in the fifth inning of a 3–0 Phillies victory; third baseman Joe Morgan fields the batted ball, but falls down and cannot make a throw.
July 22 – At Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox down the Cleveland Indians, 6–4. Vic Wertz has a three-run home run and four RBI. Ted Williams also homers, and in the seventh inning, steals second base. Williams sets a major league record as the only player to steal bases in four consecutive decades. He'll be matched by Rickey Henderson in 2000. The Indians' Jimmy Piersall homers twice, both off winner Ike Delock.
July 23 – Kansas City outfielder Whitey Herzog hits into the only All-Cuban Triple Play in ML history. The play goes from Washington Senators starting pitcher Pedro Ramos, to first baseman Julio Bécquer, to shortstop José Valdivielso. The victory, however, goes to reliever Chuck Stobbs (7–2) as the Senators take an 8–3 decision. Harmon Killebrew belts a two-run home run.
July 26 – The Detroit Tigers shake up their catching corps, acquiring Hank Foiles from the Cleveland Indians and Harry Chiti from the Kansas City Athletics, and trading away Red Wilson, who goes to Cleveland with infielder Rocky Bridges in the Foiles transaction.
July 30 – Just as he predicts, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Art Mahaffey picks off the first batter to get a hit against him. Then with the next batter to get a hit, he does it again. Curt Flood and Bill White of the St. Louis Cardinals are the base runner victims, but St. Louis still wins, 6–3. In his next game, the first batter to get a hit off Mahaffey will be Jim Marshall, and Mahaffey will pick him off as well.

August

August 2 – The start-up Continental League agrees to disband without playing a game, abandoning its plan to join the American and National circuits as a third major league within "Organized Baseball." Walter O'Malley, chairman of the NL Expansion Committee, says, "We immediately will recommend expansion and that we would like to do it in 1961." Milwaukee Braves owner Lou Perini proposes a compromise that four of the CL territories be admitted to the current majors in orderly expansion. Against his wishes, Branch Rickey's group quickly accepts.^[22]^[23]
August 3 – In an unusual move, Cleveland Indians GM Frank Lane trades managers with Detroit Tigers GM Bill DeWitt. The Indians' Joe Gordon (49–46) is dealt to the Tigers for Jimmy Dykes (44–52). For one game, until the pair can change places, Jo-Jo White pilots the Indians and Billy Hitchcock guides the Tigers.^[24]
August 4 – Reacting to an inside fastball that sails over his head, second baseman Billy Martin of the Cincinnati Reds engages Chicago Cubs' rookie southpaw Jim Brewer in an altercation on the Wrigley Field pitchers' mound. Martin punches Brewer in the face, breaking the orbital bone below his right eye. Brewer undergoes season-ending surgery two days later and files suit against Martin for $1.04 million, while National League president Warren Giles suspends Martin for five games and fines him $500. Brewer's lawsuit will be settled out of court.^[25]
August 7 – The Chicago White Sox win a pair from the Washington Senators, with reliever Gerry Staley picking up two victories. Staley will be 13–8, all in relief, with both wins and losses topping the American League relievers.
August 8 – A day crowd of 48,323, the largest day crowd ever at Comiskey Park, cheers White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce's four-hit victory over the Yankees, 9–1. Pierce faces just 31 batters.
August 9 – With fine relief pitching of Lindy McDaniel in the opener and a five-hitter by Curt Simmons in the nightcap, the St. Louis Cardinals sweep the Philadelphia Phillies, 5–4 and 6–0. Philadelphia's Tony Taylor ties a major league record for a second baseman by going the entire doubleheader (18 innings) without a putout – the first to achieve the feat since Connie Ryan, also of the Phillies, on June 14, 1953.
August 10 – Ted Williams blasts a pair of home runs and a double to pace the Red Sox to a 6–1 win over the Cleveland Indians. Williams has 21 homers for the season. The first of the two today, the 512th of Williams' career, moves the 41-year-old past Mel Ott into fourth place on the all-time list. After the game, Williams announces that he will retire at the end of the season.
August 14 – Bill White of the St. Louis Cardinals hits for the cycle off Vern Law, but the eventual Cy Young Award winner and his Pittsburgh Pirates defeat visiting St. Louis, 9–4, in the first game of a twin bill.^[12]
August 16 – The first-place Pirates sign veteran relief pitcher Clem Labine, 34, the erstwhile Brooklyn Dodgers star, released by the Detroit Tigers the day before. The Bucs become Labine's third team of 1960 after he began the year with the Dodgers; he'll help them seal the pennant, with three wins, no losses, three saves, and a 1.48 earned run average in 15 appearances.
August 18 – At County Stadium, Lew Burdette of the Milwaukee Braves no-hits the Philadelphia Phillies 1–0. He faces the minimum 27 batters, a fifth-inning hit-by-pitch to Tony González being the only Phillies base runner; González is retired on Lee Walls' double play ground ball one batter later. Burdette also helps his own cause by scoring the only run of the game; after doubling to lead off the eighth, he scores on Bill Bruton's double one batter later.^[26]
August 20 – Ted Williams draws the 2,000th walk of his career in the Red Sox' split of a twi-night doubleheader with the Orioles. Williams joins Babe Ruth as the only major leaguers to collect 2,000 walks. Rickey Henderson in 2000, and Barry Bonds in 2003, will join the select 2,000 walks group.
August 23 – Following up his no-hitter, Lew Burdette fires his third shutout in a row, pitching the Milwaukee Braves to a 7–0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
August 27 – After pitching 331⁄3 shutout innings in a row, most in MLB in 1960,^[12] Braves pitcher Lew Burdette gives up a Felipe Alou home run as San Francisco defeats Milwaukee, 3–1.
August 30 – Boston Red Sox second baseman Pete Runnels goes 6-for-7, as Boston edges the Tigers in the 15-inning opener of a twin bill. Runnels' 15th-inning double brings Frank Malzone home with the winning run to win, 5–4. Runnels has three more hits in the nightcap victory, 3–2 in 10 innings. His six hits are the most in an American League game since July 8, 1955. With 9-for-11 in the doubleheader, Runnels ties the major league record.

September

September 2 – Boston's Ted Williams hits a home run off Don Lee of the Senators. Williams had homered against Lee's father, Thornton, 20 years earlier.
September 3:
- A battle of left-handed pitchers features Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers against Mike McCormick of the Giants. Felipe Alou's home run gives McCormick a 1–0 win, his second 1–0 win against Los Angeles in 1960.
- In the International League, Al Cicotte of the Toronto Maple Leafs pitches an 11-inning no-hitter against Montreal.
September 6 – In his final game at Yankee Stadium, Ted Williams hits his 518th career home run in a Red Sox 7–1 win.
September 10 – In Detroit, the Yankees' Mickey Mantle hits a home run in the 6th inning, the ball clearing the right field roof and landing in the Brooks Lumber Yard across Trumbull Avenue. In June 1985, Mantle's blow was retroactively measured at 643 feet, and will be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records at that distance.
September 13 – Eighteen-year-old outfielder Danny Murphy becomes the youngest Chicago Cubs player to hit a home run when he clouts a three-run homer off Bob Purkey of the Cincinnati Reds, as the Reds win 8–6 at home. Murphy will play just 49 games for the Cubs from 1960 to 1962. He will come back as a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1969-70.
September 15 – Willie Mays ties the modern major league record with three triples in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium. The last National League player to hit three triples in a game had been Roberto Clemente, in 1958. Light-hitting shortstop Eddie Bressoud triples, giving the Giants four three-baggers in a nine-inning game.^[20]
September 16:
- At the age of 39, Warren Spahn notches his 11th 20-win season with a 4–0 no-hitter against the Phillies. Spahn also sets a Milwaukee club record with 15 strikeouts in handing the last-place Phils their 90th loss of the year.
- The Baltimore Orioles (83–58) and New York Yankees (82–57) open a crucial four games series with the Orioles just .002 in back of New York. Three days later, during a doubleheader, the Yankees will sweep Baltimore. The faltering Birds, now four back, will end up in second place, eight games back.
September 18 – At Wrigley Field, Ernie Banks sets a record by drawing his 27th intentional walk of the season.
September 19 – The Chicago White Sox pennant hopes are damaged with a nightcap 7–6 loss to the Detroit Tigers, after they win the opener, 8–4. Pinch hitter Norm Cash scores the decisive run in game two. Cash thus ends the season by grounding into no double plays, becoming the first American League player since league records on this were started in 1940. Dick McAuliffe and Roger Repoz will duplicate this in 1968.
September 20 – Boston Red Sox outfielder Carroll Hardy pinch-hits for Ted Williams, who is forced to leave the game after fouling a ball off his ankle, and grounds into a double play. On May 31, 1961, Hardy will pinch hit for rookie Carl Yastrzemski, making him the only player to go in for both future Hall of Famers. Hardy also hit his first major league home run pinch-hitting for Roger Maris when both were at Cleveland (May 18, 1958).
September 25:
- For the first time since 1927, the Pittsburgh Pirates head for the World Series as second-place St. Louis is eliminated from contention, 5–0, by the Chicago Cubs. It's the Pirates' seventh NL flag.
- Ralph Terry clinches the New York Yankees 25th pennant with a 4–3 win over the Boston Red Sox. Luis Arroyo saves the win. It is Casey Stengel's 10th pennant in 12 years at New York.
September 27 – The recently crowned NL champion Pittsburgh Pirates play the season's longest game, going 151⁄3 innings to edge the Cincinnati Reds, 4–3, at Forbes Field. Four Pittsburgh pitchers, led by starter Tom Cheney, rack up 19 strikeouts, with the Reds' Cliff Cook (four) and Wally Post (three) leading the futility parade.^[27] Almost two years from now—on September 12, 1962, and in a Washington Senators uniform—Cheney will fan 21 Baltimore Orioles in a 16-inning complete game.
September 28:
- In his last major league at bat, Ted Williams picks out a 1–1 pitch by Baltimore's Jack Fisher and drives it 450 feet into the right-center field seats behind the Boston bullpen. It is Williams' 521st and last career home run, putting him third on the all-time list. Williams stays in the dugout, ignoring the thunderous ovation at Fenway Park, and refused to tip his hat to the hometown fans. However, they would make up for that 39 years later.
- The seventh-place Red Sox do away with the position of general manager, firing incumbent Bucky Harris, handing player personnel responsibilities to field manager Pinky Higgins, and promoting business manager Dick O'Connell to executive vice president.^[28]

October

October 2 – The Baltimore Orioles defeat the Washington Senators 2–1 at Griffith Stadium in the Senators' final game before their move to Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Milt Pappas wins the pitchers' duel against Pedro Ramos, who gives up a home run to Jackie Brandt for the deciding run.
October 3 – The New York Yankees head into the World Series with a 15-game winning streak, the 8th longest streak in the American League this century, after Dale Long's two-run 9th-inning home run gives them an 8–7 win over the Boston Red Sox. The 193 home runs are an AL season record, three better than the 1956 Yankees. RBI leader Roger Maris drives in three runs, but falls one home run short of Mickey Mantle's league-high 40.

October 5 – In a portent of things to come, Bill Mazeroski's two-run fifth-inning home run off Jim Coates is the difference as Pittsburgh beats the Yankees 6–4 in its first World Series win since 1925. Roy Face survives a two-run 9th-inning Elston Howard home run to preserve Vern Law's victory.
October 6 – Mickey Mantle hits two home runs in a Yankees' 16–3 victory at Forbes Field, evening the World Series. A seven-run 6th inning overwhelms Pittsburgh.
October 8 – At Yankee Stadium, Bobby Richardson collects six RBI, including a grand slam off reliever Clem Labine in a six-run first inning, and Whitey Ford pitches a four-hitter 10–0 shutout to give the Yankees a 2–1 World Series lead, spoiling Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh's 43rd birthday.
October 9 – Vern Law wins again, thanks to his own RBI single and Bill Virdon's two-run hit. Roy Face retires the final eight batters in order. The Pittsburgh Pirates 3–2 win evens the 1960 World Series.
October 10 – Bill Mazeroski stars again. His two-run double stakes Harvey Haddix to a 3–0 lead. Roy Face is called on once more for another hitless effort to preserve a 5–2 win over the Yankees and 3–2 World Series lead for the surprising Pirates.
October 12 – In Game 6 of the World Series, Whitey Ford preserves the Yankees hopes with a seven-hit shutout at Forbes Field. Bob Friend is bombed again as the Yankees coast, 12–0. Bobby Richardson's two run-scoring triples give him a Fall Classic record of 12 RBI.
October 13 – The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the New York Yankees, 10–9, in Game 7 of the World Series, to win their third World Championship, and first since 1925, four games to three. In a 9–9 tie, Bill Mazeroski leads off the last of the ninth inning and hits what is arguably the most dramatic home run in Series history, off Yankees hurler Ralph Terry. The drama of Mazeroski's home run was heightened by the excitement that preceded the home run: A combined total of seven runs were scored by both teams in a wild and whacky bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth. An oddity in this game – it is the only World Series game this century with no strikeouts recorded. Another oddity, this one to the 1960 World Series itself – Mazeroski's home run makes this the only World Series in history won by a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of the seventh and deciding game. Despite Mazeroski's heroics, however, Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson is named the Series MVP, as the Yankees outscore Pittsburgh, 55 to 27.
October 17 – The National League votes to admit Houston and New York City teams to the league in 1962, its first structural change since 1900, and to expand to a ten-team league.^[23]^[29]
October 18 – Instituting a mandatory retirement age of 65, New York Yankees co-owners Dan Topping and Del Webb relieve Casey Stengel as the team manager. Stengel says, "I wasn't retired—they fired me." The 70-year-old ex-skipper compiled a 1,149–696–6 (.623) record with the Yankees,^[30] won seven World Series and ten American League titles during his 1949–1960 stewardship.^[31]
October 20 – Coach Ralph Houk, 41, is named to succeed Casey Stengel as the Yankees manager.^[32] A former Yankee back-up catcher and successful minor-league manager, Houk stepped in as emergency skipper of the Yankees from May 28 to June 6 of this past season when Stengel was hospitalized.
October 25 – Gabe Paul, general manager of the Cincinnati Reds since October 1951, quits his post to join Houston's National League expansion team as their first front-office boss.^[33] Although he doesn't stay long, Paul brings young Cincinnati executives Tal Smith and Bill Giles to Houston, and both play key roles in what will become the Colt .45s/Astros' early years.
October 26 – Trying to jump ahead of the National League, the American League admits Los Angeles and Minneapolis teams to the league with plans to have the new clubs begin competition in 1961 in the new 10-team league. Calvin Griffith is given permission to move the existing Washington Senators franchise to Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota. (An expansion team, also called the Senators, will be placed in Washington.) American League president Joe Cronin says the league will play a 162-game schedule, with 18 games against each opponent. The National League will balk, saying the two expansions are not analogous and that the American League was not invited to move into LA.^[23]
October 31 – The San Francisco Giants acquire infielder Alvin Dark from the Milwaukee Braves in exchange for shortstop Andre Rodgers. Dark, former captain of the old New York Giants, ends his playing career at age 38 and is named to succeed Tom Sheehan as San Francisco's manager for 1961.^[34]

November

November 2:
- George Weiss, who had a hand in 15 World Series champions in 29 seasons with the New York Yankees — eight as farm system director (1932–1947) and seven as general manager (1948–1960) — is forced into retirement at age 66. A longtime assistant, Roy Hamey, replaces him.^[35]
- Hank Greenberg asks for American League dates at the Los Angeles Coliseum, home of the National League Dodgers. Greenberg and Bill Veeck—the incumbent general manager and principal owner, respectively, of the Chicago White Sox—are expected to run the new Los Angeles club in the AL. On November 17, Greenberg will drop out of the bidding to run the new franchise.^[23]
- Veteran executive Bill DeWitt steps down as president and de facto general manager of the Detroit Tigers and joins the Cincinnati Reds as vice president/GM. One year and a National League pennant later, DeWitt purchases the Cincinnati franchise from the estate of Powel Crosley Jr. Meanwhile, in Detroit, Rick Ferrell, Hall of Fame catcher, regains the Tigers' GM responsibilities.
November 17 – Elwood "Pete" Quesada, retired United States Air Force general and head of the Federal Aviation Administration, becomes the founding principal owner of the expansion version of the Washington Senators. The undercapitalized and hastily organized franchise will struggle through two seasons before Quesada sells the Senators in January 1963.
November 20 – With the American League expansion draft less than four weeks away, Quesada's "new" Senators appoint former American Association president Ed Doherty, 60, general manager, and former first baseman, two-time batting champion and star of the "old" Senators Mickey Vernon, 42, the expansion team's field manager.
November 21 – Bob Scheffing, ex-catcher who skippered the Chicago Cubs from 1957–1959, signs to manage the Detroit Tigers after the job is turned down by Casey Stengel.
November 22 – The American League proposes that both leagues expand to nine teams in 1961 and begin interleague play. It will delay entering the Los Angeles market if the National League agrees.^[23] (There will be expansion to ten teams in the American League in 1961, followed by the NL in 1962; interleague play does not arrive until 1997.)
November 23 – Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Frank Howard is selected National League Rookie of the Year with 12 of 24 votes. The six-foot, seven-inch (2.01 m) Howard belted 23 home runs during the regular season.

November 26 – Upon arrival in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the team formerly known as the Washington Senators team chooses the appropriate nickname Twins as its new identity. In 1961, an American League expansion team will take its place in the U.S. capital, and assume its old "Senators" nickname.
November 29 – The expansion Senators sign their first player, free-agent infielder Danny O'Connell, 31, an eight-year National League veteran who had spent 1960 at Triple-A Tacoma.

December

December 3:
- The San Francisco Giants acquire 1959 American League batting champ Harvey Kuenn, 30, from the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Johnny Antonelli and outfielder Willie Kirkland.
- The Milwaukee Braves purchase the contract of Billy Martin from the Cincinnati Reds.^[36]
December 5 – American League president Joe Cronin suggests that if the National League starts its new New York City franchise in 1961, the AL will stay out of Los Angeles until 1962.^[23] The NL turned down the suggested compromise of November 22 because Houston will not be ready in 1961.
December 6 – A group headed by movie star Gene Autry and former football star Bob Reynolds is awarded the American League's Los Angeles Angels expansion franchise.^[37]
- Autry and Reynolds appoint Fred Haney, 64, former field manager of the 1957–1958 NL champion Milwaukee Braves, general manager and Bill Rigney, 42, fired in June by the San Francisco Giants, as the Angels' first skipper.
December 7 – The Detroit Tigers acquire veteran centerfielder and three-time NL stolen base king Bill Bruton, pitcher Terry Fox, catcher Dick Brown and infielder Chuck Cottier from the Milwaukee Braves for Gold Glove Award-winning and four-time All-Star second baseman Frank Bolling and reserve outfielder Neil Chrisley (a player to be named later).
December 14 – The American League stocks its two new teams with the first-ever expansion draft. Two former New York Yankees pitchers — Eli Grba (Angels) and Bobby Shantz (Senators) — are the top choices in the intraleague lottery.
December 15:
- The Cincinnati Reds make two significant trades. In the first, the Reds send shortstop Roy McMillan to the Milwaukee Braves for pitchers Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro. Then, they trade left-hander Pizarro, along with veteran hurler Cal McLish, to the Chicago White Sox for third baseman Gene Freese. Jay (a 21-game winner and NL All-Star) and Freese (26 HR, 87 RBI, .277 BA) will play integral roles in Cincinnati's 1961 National League pennant.
- The brand-new Washington Senators trade their first pick in yesterday's expansion draft, veteran left-handed pitcher Bobby Shantz, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Bennie Daniels, first baseman R C Stevens and third baseman Harry Bright.
- Two of the tallest pitchers of their era, 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Gene Conley of the Philadelphia Phillies and 6 ft 7½ in (2.02 m) Frank Sullivan of the Boston Red Sox, are traded for each other in a one for one deal. During the winter, Conley serves as the backup center to Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics.
December 19 – Chicago-based insurance tycoon Charles O. Finley buys 52 percent of the Kansas City Athletics from the late Arnold Johnson's estate for a reported $1.975 million. Finley, 42, has been an unsuccessful bidder for numerous American League teams since 1954, and earlier this month withdrew his bid to buy the expansion Angels' franchise.^[38]
December 21 – Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley says his team will have no manager in 1960, but will use a "College of Coaches."