Major Leagues

The 1958 Major League season was marked by the National League's abandonment of New York, with the New York Giants moving to San Francisco, California, and the Brooklyn Dodgers moving to Los Angeles, California. There were talks of an expansion to ten teams in order to bring New York City back into the National League, but no definitive decisions had been announced by year's end.

While both teams waited for construction of new stadiums, the Dodgers played in the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Giants in Seals Stadium.

Fred Frick (left) and a committee discuss problems that arose when the Giants and Dodgers moved to California

San Franciscans turn out along Montgomery Street to welcome their first Major League Baseball team

Los Angeles Coliseum, new home of the Dodgers in 1958

On January 28, Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella was seriously injured in an auto accident in Glen Cove, New York. The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down.

On February 27, New York Yankees center fielder Mickey Mantle signed a contract worth an estimated $72,000 to $75,000.

Early in the season there was controversy over the unusually high number of home runs being hit in the Los Angeles Coliseum, temporary new home of the Dodgers. A screen was erected in left field at the 250-foot mark in an effort to reduce that number. By season's end a total of 193 home runs were hit in the Coliseum, far fewer than the 219 hit at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

In December Will Harridge resigned as president of the American League.

Regular Season Highlights

The Washington Senators defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-2 in the first Major League game of the 1958 season in Washington, D.C., on April 14.

On May 13, Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals made a rare appearance as a pinch hitter and slapped a double into left field on a pitch by Chicago Cubs pitcher Moe Drabowsky, in Chicago. That double made Musial the the eighth player in Major League history to make 3,000 hits, and the only player to date (as of 2016) to do so as a pinch hitter.

Stan Musial waits for the pitch that gave him his 3,000th hit

All-Star Game

The American League team managed by Casey Stengel of the New York Yankees won the 25th All-Star Game, 4-3, over the National League team managed by Fred Haney of the Milwaukee Braves. The game was played at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 8.

Vice-President Richard Nixon threw out the first pitch. Bob Turley of the Yankees and Warren Spahn of the Braves were the starting pitchers, but neither man finished the game. The first hit of the game was made by Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants. The last scoring came in the sixth inning when the American League took the lead after a Frank Malzone (of the Boston Red Sox) single, an error by Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Frank Thomas, and a single by Gil McDougald of the Yankees. Early Wynn of the Chicago White Sox was credited with the win, Bobby O'Dell of the Baltimore Orioles with a save, and Bob Friend of the Pirates got the loss.

Bobby O'Dell earning a save in the All-Star Game

The first ever All-Star Game without an extra-base hit was watched by 48,829 fans in the stadium and an unknown number of NBC-TV viewers.

Final Standings

The New York Yankees, already leading the American League by 12-1/2 games, clinched their ninth pennant in 10 years under Manager Casey Stengel with their first two victories in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 14. They had gotten the year off to a fast start, winning 65 of their first 99 games, but ended it by only winning 27 of their last 55. The hero of the Yankees was pitcher Bob Turley, who led the American League with 21 wins against 7 losses.

Bob Turley

The Milwaukee Braves were 5-1/2 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates when they clinched their 2nd consecutive National League pennant on September 21 by winning in Cincinnati, Ohio. They had a much slower start than the Yankees, winning only 54 of their first 96 games, but ended it by winning 38 of their final 58.

Marquette University students dance on the streets after the Braves won the National League Championship

Individual Performance Leaders

Orlando Cepeda

World Series

After losing three of the first four games, the New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Braves 4 games to 3 to win the World Series, held October 1-9. Only once before had a team come from behind to win the last three games in a seven-game series -- in 1925, when the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Washington Senators. It was the 18th World Series win for the Yankees, out of 24 appearances.

The series drew a total of 393,909 spectators who paid $2,397,223.03, after taxes. The players' share for each member of the Yankees was $8,759 .09 each, while each member of the Braves received $5,896.08.

Highlights

Game 1 (Milwaukee) -- Milwaukee needed 10 innings to win the opener, 4 to 3. A single by Billy Bruton off relief pitcher Ryne Duren drove in the winning run. Warren Spahn went the distance for the win, giving up eight hits that included home runs by Bill Skowron and Hank Bauer. Duren, in relief of starter Whitey Ford, got the loss.

Game 2 (Milwaukee) -- The Braves scored 7 runs in the first inning -- thanks to a lead-off home run by Billy Bruton and a 3-run homer by pitcher Lew Burdette -- on their way to a 13 to 5 rout of the Yankees. Burdette got the win, Bob Turley the loss.

Game 3 (New York) -- The Yankees got their first win of the Series by shutting out the Braves 4 to 0. Hank Bauer drove in all 4 runs. Don Larsen got the win, with Ryne Duren coming in as relief in the 7th; Bob Rush was the loser.

Game 4 (New York) -- Warren Spahn only gave up 2 hits to beat Whitey Ford 3 to 0.

Game 5 (New York) -- The Yankees got their second win of the Series thanks to a homer by Gil McDougal in the third inning and a 6-run sixth inning. Bob Turley held the Braves to 5 hits and 0 runs to get the win. Lew Burdette got the loss.

Game 6 (Milwaukee) -- Hank Aaron collided with Yankees first baseman Bill Skowron as Skowron was attempting to field a bad throw from pitcher Art Ditmar. After the collision Aaron advanced to second base on the error. The game went into ten innings before the Yankees came out ahead, 4 to 3. Warren Spahn was charged with the loss, while relief pitcher Ryne Duren got the win.

Hank Aaron (44) runs into Yankees first baseman Bill Skowron during the sixth game of the World Series

Game 7 (Milwaukee) -- The Yankees scored 4 runs in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie and ended up winning the game 6 to 2. Bob Turley pitched 6-2/3 innings in relief to get the win, while Lew Burdette got the loss.

Casey Stengel, his face marked with burnt cork by his Yankees, is met by newsmen and fans in New York

College

The University of Southern California won the College World Series by beating the University of Missouri 8 to 7 at Omaha-Nebraska, on June 19.

Conference Champions

Little League

The 1958 Little League World Series was played in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, August 19-22. Participants were: Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada; Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico; Gadsden, Alabama; Darien, Connecticut; Honolulu, Hawaii; Kanakee, Illinois; and Portland, Oregon. Monterrey won its second straight World Series title by beating Kanakee 10-1 in the final game. The star of that game was future Major Leaguer Hector Torres, who struck out 11 and allowed just 3 hits and 1 run in a complete game win. Two other future Major Leaguers also played in the Series -- Keith Lampard and Rick Wise, both of whom were on the Portland team.

a Little League player is out on a close play at first in a regional tournament game in Napierville, Illinois

two members of the Monterrey, Mexico, Little League team hug their World Series trophies

SEE ALSO
In the Year 1958
Roy Campanella
Mickey Mantle
Richard Nixon
Hank Aaron

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This page was last updated on May 28, 2017.