1965 MLB season | |
---|---|
League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
Sport | Baseball |
Duration | Regular season:
|
Number of games | 162 |
Number of teams | 20 (10 per league) |
TV partner(s) | NBC, CBS, ABC |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Rick Monday |
Picked by | Kansas City Athletics |
Regular season | |
Season MVP | AL: Zoilo Versalles (MIN) NL: Willie Mays (SF) |
AL champions | Minnesota Twins |
AL runners-up | Chicago White Sox |
NL champions | Los Angeles Dodgers |
NL runners-up | San Francisco Giants |
World Series | |
Champions | Los Angeles Dodgers |
Runners-up | Minnesota Twins |
World Series MVP | Sandy Koufax (LAD) |
The 1965 major league baseball season began on April 12, 1965. The regular season ended on October 3, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 61st World Series on October 6 and ended with Game 7 on October 14. The Dodgers defeated the Twins, four games to three, capturing their fourth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1963. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the St. Louis Cardinals from the 1963 season.
The 36th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 13 at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, home of the Minnesota Twins. The National League won, 6–5.
The Houston Colt .45s became the Houston Astros, as they moved from Colt Stadium to the new Astrodome, becoming the first team to play their home games indoors, rather than outdoors. It was also the final season for the Milwaukee Braves, before relocating to Atlanta, Georgia and becoming the Atlanta Braves for the 1966 season. The Los Angeles Angels officially changed their name to California Angels on September 2, 1965, with only 28 games left in the season, in advance of their pending 1966 move to a new stadium in Anaheim, California.
In June, the first Major League Baseball draft was held in New York City. Teams chose players in reverse order of the previous season's standings, with picks alternating between American League and National League teams. [1] With the first pick of the 1965 MLB draft, the Kansas City Athletics took Rick Monday, an outfielder from Arizona State University. [2]
The 1965 schedule consisted of 162 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had ten teams. Each team was scheduled to play 18 games against the other nine teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place by the American League since the 1961 season and by the National League since the 1962 season, and would be used until 1969.
Opening Day took place on April 12, featuring 16 teams. The final day of the regular season was on October 3, which saw all 20 teams play. The World Series took place between October 6 and October 14.
The 1965 season saw the following rule change: [3]
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota Twins | 102 | 60 | .630 | — | 51–30 | 51–30 |
Chicago White Sox | 95 | 67 | .586 | 7 | 48–33 | 47–34 |
Baltimore Orioles | 94 | 68 | .580 | 8 | 46–33 | 48–35 |
Detroit Tigers | 89 | 73 | .549 | 13 | 47–34 | 42–39 |
Cleveland Indians | 87 | 75 | .537 | 15 | 52–30 | 35–45 |
New York Yankees | 77 | 85 | .475 | 25 | 40–43 | 37–42 |
Los Angeles / California Angels | 75 | 87 | .463 | 27 | 46–34 | 29–53 |
Washington Senators | 70 | 92 | .432 | 32 | 36–45 | 34–47 |
Boston Red Sox | 62 | 100 | .383 | 40 | 34–47 | 28–53 |
Kansas City Athletics | 59 | 103 | .364 | 43 | 33–48 | 26–55 |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Dodgers | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 50–31 | 47–34 |
San Francisco Giants | 95 | 67 | .586 | 2 | 51–30 | 44–37 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 90 | 72 | .556 | 7 | 49–32 | 41–40 |
Cincinnati Reds | 89 | 73 | .549 | 8 | 49–32 | 40–41 |
Milwaukee Braves | 86 | 76 | .531 | 11 | 44–37 | 42–39 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 85 | 76 | .528 | 11½ | 45–35 | 40–41 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 80 | 81 | .497 | 16½ | 42–39 | 38–42 |
Chicago Cubs | 72 | 90 | .444 | 25 | 40–41 | 32–49 |
Houston Astros | 65 | 97 | .401 | 32 | 36–45 | 29–52 |
New York Mets | 50 | 112 | .309 | 47 | 29–52 | 21–60 |
World Series | ||||
AL | Minnesota Twins | 3 | ||
NL | Los Angeles Dodgers | 4 |
Team | Former Manager | New Manager | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Cleveland Indians | George Strickland | Birdie Tebbetts | |
Detroit Tigers | Chuck Dressen | Bob Swift | Dressen replaced temporarily by Swift while recovering from a heart attack. |
New York Yankees | Yogi Berra | Johnny Keane | |
Pittsburgh Pirates | Danny Murtaugh | Harry Walker | |
San Francisco Giants | Alvin Dark | Herman Franks | |
St. Louis Cardinals | Johnny Keane | Red Schoendienst |
Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
---|---|---|
Chicago Cubs | Bob Kennedy | Lou Klein |
Detroit Tigers | Bob Swift | Chuck Dressen |
Kansas City Athletics | Mel McGaha | Haywood Sullivan |
New York Mets | Casey Stengel | Wes Westrum |
Stat | Player | Total |
---|---|---|
AVG | Tony Oliva (MIN) | .321 |
OPS | Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) | .932 |
HR | Tony Conigliaro (BOS) | 49 |
RBI | Rocky Colavito (CLE) | 108 |
R | Zoilo Versalles (MIN) | 126 |
H | Tony Oliva (MIN) | 185 |
SB | Bert Campaneris (KC) | 51 |
Stat | Player | Total |
---|---|---|
W | Mudcat Grant (MIN) | 21 |
L | Bill Monbouquette (BOS) | 18 |
ERA | Sam McDowell (CLE) | 2.18 |
K | Sam McDowell (CLE) | 325 |
IP | Mel Stottlemyre (NYY) | 291.0 |
SV | Ron Kline (WSH) | 29 |
WHIP | Eddie Fisher (CWS) | 0.974 |
Stat | Player | Total |
---|---|---|
AVG | Roberto Clemente (PIT) | .329 |
OPS | Willie Mays (SF) | 1.043 |
HR | Willie Mays (SF) | 52 |
RBI | Deron Johnson (CIN) | 130 |
R | Tommy Harper (CIN) | 126 |
H | Pete Rose (CIN) | 209 |
SB | Maury Wills (LAD) | 94 |
Stat | Player | Total |
---|---|---|
W | Sandy Koufax 1 (LAD) | 26 |
L | Jack Fisher (NYM) | 24 |
ERA | Sandy Koufax 1 (LAD) | 2.04 |
K | Sandy Koufax 1 (LAD) | 382 |
IP | Sandy Koufax (LAD) | 335.2 |
SV | Ted Abernathy (CHC) | 31 |
WHIP | Sandy Koufax (LAD) | 0.855 |
1 National League Triple Crown pitching winner
Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
---|---|---|
BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
Rookie of the Year | Jim Lefebvre (LAD) | Curt Blefary (BAL) |
Cy Young Award | Sandy Koufax (LAD) | — |
Most Valuable Player | Willie Mays (SF) | Zoilo Versalles (MIN) |
Gold Glove Awards | ||
Position | National League | American League |
Pitcher | Bob Gibson (STL) | Jim Kaat (MIN) |
Catcher | Joe Torre (MIL) | Bill Freehan (DET) |
1st Base | Bill White (STL) | Joe Pepitone (NYY) |
2nd Base | Bill Mazeroski (PIT) | Bobby Richardson (NYY) |
3rd Base | Ron Santo (CHC) | Brooks Robinson (BAL) |
Shortstop | Leo Cárdenas (CIN) | Zoilo Versalles (MIN) |
Outfield | Roberto Clemente (PIT) | Al Kaline (DET) |
Curt Flood (STL) | Tom Tresh (NYY) | |
Willie Mays (SF) | Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) |
The Sporting News Awards | ||
---|---|---|
Award | National League | American League |
Player of the Year [9] | Sandy Koufax (LAD) | — |
Pitcher of the Year [10] | Sandy Koufax (LAD) | Mudcat Grant (MIN) |
Fireman of the Year [11] (Relief pitcher) | Ted Abernathy (CHC) | Eddie Fisher (CWS) |
Rookie Player of the Year [12] | Joe Morgan (HOU) | Curt Blefary (BAL) |
Rookie Pitcher of the Year [13] | Frank Linzy (SF) | Marcelino López (LAA) |
Comeback Player of the Year [14] | Vern Law (PIT) | Norm Cash (DET) |
Manager of the Year [15] | — | Sam Mele (MIN) |
Executive of the Year [16] | — | Calvin Griffith (MIN) |
Month | National League |
---|---|
May | Joe Torre (MIL) |
June | Vern Law (PIT) Willie Stargell (PIT) |
July | Pete Rose (CIN) |
August | Willie Mays (SF) |
Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Dodgers [17] | 97 | 21.3% | 2,553,577 | 14.6% | 31,526 |
Houston Astros [18] | 65 | −1.5% | 2,151,470 | 196.4% | 26,561 |
New York Mets [19] | 50 | −5.7% | 1,768,389 | 2.1% | 21,566 |
San Francisco Giants [20] | 95 | 5.6% | 1,546,075 | 2.8% | 19,087 |
Minnesota Twins [21] | 102 | 29.1% | 1,463,258 | 21.2% | 18,065 |
St. Louis Cardinals [22] | 80 | −14.0% | 1,241,201 | 8.6% | 15,323 |
New York Yankees [23] | 77 | −22.2% | 1,213,552 | −7.1% | 14,621 |
Philadelphia Phillies [24] | 85 | −7.6% | 1,166,376 | −18.2% | 14,580 |
Chicago White Sox [25] | 95 | −3.1% | 1,130,519 | −9.6% | 13,957 |
Cincinnati Reds [26] | 89 | −3.3% | 1,047,824 | 21.5% | 12,936 |
Detroit Tigers [27] | 89 | 4.7% | 1,029,645 | 26.2% | 12,712 |
Cleveland Indians [28] | 87 | 10.1% | 934,786 | 43.1% | 11,400 |
Pittsburgh Pirates [29] | 90 | 12.5% | 909,279 | 19.7% | 11,089 |
Baltimore Orioles [30] | 94 | −3.1% | 781,649 | −30.0% | 9,894 |
Boston Red Sox [31] | 62 | −13.9% | 652,201 | −26.2% | 8,052 |
Chicago Cubs [32] | 72 | −5.3% | 641,361 | −14.7% | 7,727 |
Los Angeles / California Angels [33] | 75 | −8.5% | 566,727 | −25.5% | 7,084 |
Washington Senators [34] | 70 | 12.9% | 560,083 | −6.7% | 6,915 |
Milwaukee Braves [35] | 86 | −2.3% | 555,584 | −39.0% | 6,859 |
Kansas City Athletics [36] | 59 | 3.5% | 528,344 | −17.8% | 6,523 |
In 1965, ABC provided the first-ever nationwide baseball coverage with weekly Saturday broadcasts on a regional basis. ABC paid $5.7 million for the rights to the 28 Saturday/holiday Games of the Week . ABC's deal [37] [38] covered all of the teams except the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies [39] (who had their own television deals) and called for two regionalized games on Saturdays, Independence Day, and Labor Day. [40] Each Saturday, ABC broadcast two 2 p.m. ET games and one game for the Pacific Time Zone at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m local time.
Although MLB ended the Game of the Week blackouts in cities with MLB clubs, ABC blacked out the games in the home cities of the clubs playing those games. [41]
Meanwhile, CBS continued to air its own slate of Games of the Week with the rights to individual teams, with its New York Yankees games in particular beating ABC in the ratings. At the end of the season, ABC declined to exercise its $6.5 million option for 1966, citing poor ratings, [42] [43] especially in New York.
Although it did not air Games of the Week this season, NBC continued to air the All-Star Game and World Series.