1959 AL Standings and League Leaders

 August 1, 1959

   The calendar is flipped to August in the 1959 AL season. My Detroit Tigers have been in a funk, losing 5 of their last 6 games and going 14-16 overall in July. Cleveland (59-42) was 17-14. This has allowed the Indians to move into 1st place and the Tigers (59-45) to drop into 2nd, 1.5 games behind. The injury bug has hit Detroit with Al Kaline(cf), Harvey Kuenn(rf), Rocky Bridges(ss), and Frank Bolling(2b) missing a significant amount of playing time. 

  The Chicago White Sox (55-44) were 16-11 in July and are gaining ground on the top spot. They're in 3rd place, 3 games behind. The New York Yankees are in 4th place with a 50-50 record. Only the Washington Senators, who are mired in last place, failed to gain ground on Detroit in July. 

  Detroit's offense this season has been incredible. Their 591 runs scored and +144 Runs/Angst Differential far outpaces any other team. The only other team with a + Differential is Cleveland (+61). Detroit's hitting is led by Charley Maxwell who leads the AL in Homeruns and RBI (32, 104). Harvey Kuenn (.345) and Al Kaline (.341) are 1, 2 in Batting Avg. Kaline is also 2nd in the league in RBI (79). 

  Rocky Colavito (29 HR, 75 RBI) and Woody Held (27 HR) have led the Cleveland hitting attack. Chicago's Early Wynn (16-6, 2.95 ERA. 116 K's) is the top pitcher in the AL. New York and Chicago have had the best pitching so far this season, so both teams have high hopes in the battle for the pennant.

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 1959 American League
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
                            WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
1959 Cleveland CLA           59  42  .584 ----    52    59  42 .584   89  65 .578
1959 Detroit DEA             59  45  .567  1.5          50  54 .481   76  78 .494
1959 Chicago CHA             55  44  .556  3.0          59  40 .596   94  60 .610
1959 New York NYA            50  50  .500  8.5          49  51 .490   79  75 .513
1959 Boston BOA              50  51  .495  9.0          44  57 .436   75  79 .487
1959 Kansas City KCA         47  53  .470 11.5          50  50 .500   66  88 .429
1959 Baltimore BAA           47  56  .456 13.0          51  52 .495   74  80 .481
1959 Washington WAA          38  64  .373 21.5          43  59 .422   63  91 .409
 
 
 
       OVERALL RECORD
Team   WON LOST   PCT  HOME  ROAD  LEFT RIGHT EXTRA 1-RUN   LAST 10   STREAK
BAA     47   56  .456 23-29 24-27 12-16 35-40  9- 4 14-10     4-6     Won 2
BOA     50   51  .495 23-26 27-25  6- 8 44-43  3- 5  9-13     5-5     Won 1
CHA     55   44  .556 28-23 27-21 19-15 36-29  8- 0 21- 6     8-2     Won 2
CLA     59   42  .584 34-19 25-23  9-10 50-32  3- 5 17-14     6-4     Lost 1
DEA     59   45  .567 29-23 30-22 12- 8 47-37  2- 4 14-15     4-6     Lost 2
KCA     47   53  .470 24-29 23-24 10-10 37-43  6- 6  5-16     4-6     Lost 4
NYA     50   50  .500 24-20 26-30 11-17 39-33  3- 8 14-14     5-5     Won 1
WAA     38   64  .373 19-32 19-32  7- 7 31-57  3- 5 11-17     4-6     Lost 1
TOTAL  405  405  .500
HOME   204  201  .504
ROAD   201  204  .496
LEFT    86   91  .486
RIGHT  319  314  .504
 
TEAM   -APRIL   MAY  JUNE  JULY   AUG SEPT+  RUNS AGNST DIFF
BAA      6-10 15-15 11-16 15-15  0- 0  0- 0    404   483  -79
BOA      9- 4 14-16  9-19 18-12  0- 0  0- 0    498   501   -3
CHA      8- 8 10-18 21- 7 16-11  0- 0  0- 0    387   390   -3
CLA      7- 7 18-10 17-11 17-14  0- 0  0- 0    500   439  +61
DEA      9- 6 16-12 20-11 14-16  0- 0  0- 0    591   447 +144
KCA      6-10 14-11 10-19 17-13  0- 0  0- 0    464   519  -55
NYA      9- 6 14-13 13-17 14-14  0- 0  0- 0    407   407   +0
WAA      7-10 12-18 12-13  7-23  0- 0  0- 0    426   491  -65

NEWSPAPER STYLE RECAP FOR 1959 American League                 Date: 8/1/1959
 
TEAM     WON LOST   BATTING AVERAGE     HOME RUNS           RUNS BATTED IN
1959 CLA  59  42    H.Kuenn   DEA .345  C.Maxwell DEA   32  C.Maxwell DEA  104
1959 DEA  59  45    A.Kaline  DEA .341  B.Allison WAA   31  A.Kaline  DEA   79
1959 CHA  55  44    P.Runnels BOA .321  R.Colavit CLA   29  R.Colavit CLA   75
1959 NYA  50  50    G.Woodlin BAA .314  W.Held    CLA   27  J.Jensen  BOA   69
1959 BOA  50  51    R.Maris   KCA .310  OTHERS TIED W   26  F.Malzone BOA   68
1959 KCA  47  53
1959 BAA  47  56    WINS                SAVES               ERA
1959 WAA  38  64    E.Wynn    CHA   16  M.Forniel BOA   10  B.Shaw    CHA 1.95
                    F.Lary    DEA   13  T.Lown    CHA    9  A.Ditmar  NYA 2.06
                    OTHERS TIED W   11  B.Loes    BAA    8  C.Pascual WAA 2.72
                                        T.Morgan  DEA    8  E.Wynn    CHA 2.95
                                        R.Duren   NYA    6  B.Turley  NYA 3.06
 
                    CUR HIT STREAK      STOLEN BASES        STRIKEOUTS
                    R.Snyder  KCA   10  L.Aparici CHA   40  J.Bunning DEA  137
                    Y.Berra   NYA   10  B.Tuttle  KCA   15  H.Score   CLA  135
                    OTHERS TIED W    7  J.Jensen  BOA   10  C.Pascual WAA  132
                                        B.Allison WAA   10  E.Wynn    CHA  116
                                        OTHERS TIED W    9  F.Lary    DEA  114

1959 NL Standings and League Leaders

 August 1, 1959

  The month of July is in the books for this 1959 NL season. The Milwaukee Braves continue to sail along in 1st place, playing at a .687 clip. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and even the San Francisco Giants are having fine seasons but are all still double digits behind the 1st place Braves. LA had a great July going a league best 21-6, but they only gained 2.5 games because Milwaukee was 18-8.

   Hank Aaron (.360 BA, 36 HR, 90 RBI) is a big reason Milwaukee is enjoying such success. He's still in a good position to win the Triple Crown, leading the 3 categories by a fairly high margin. While the Braves offense has been good, their pitching staff is even better. They are the best in the league. Warren Spahn (17-6), Lew Burdette (15-8), and Bob Buhl (10-3, 1.95 ERA) head a good group. 

   LA has had mediocre hitting and very good pitching. Cincinnati is just the opposite. They have the best offense in the NL, but their pitching is mediocre. The Dodger's Don Drysdale (16-60, 2.18 ERA, 161 K's) may be the best pitcher in the league. The Red's Gus Bell (.332 BA, 15 HR, 75 RBI) would be pushing for league MVP if it weren't for Aaron. As would teammate Frank Robinson (.320 BA, 24 HR, 69 RBI). 

  Like stated earlier, the San Francisco Giants are having a good season. They've had the 2nd best pitching in the NL. Pittsburgh, Chicago, and St. Louis have struggled this year. The Philadelphia Phillies are the league doormat.

  

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 1959 National League
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
                            WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
1959 Milwaukee MLN           68  31  .687 ----    43    55  44 .556   86  70 .551
1959 Los Angeles LAN         61  44  .581 10.0          58  47 .552   88  68 .564
1959 Cincinnati CIN          57  45  .559 12.5          47  55 .461   74  80 .481
1959 San Francisco SFN       55  47  .539 14.5          57  45 .559   83  71 .539
1959 Pittsburgh PIN          47  57  .452 23.5          50  54 .481   78  76 .506
1959 Chicago CHN             44  57  .436 25.0          50  51 .495   74  80 .481
1959 St. Louis SLN           41  62  .398 29.0          49  54 .476   71  83 .461
1959 Philadelphia PHN        35  65  .350 33.5          42  58 .420   64  90 .416
 
 
 
       OVERALL RECORD
Team   WON LOST   PCT  HOME  ROAD  LEFT RIGHT EXTRA 1-RUN   LAST 10   STREAK
CHN     44   57  .436 22-24 22-33 12-18 32-39  5- 8 13-21     4-6     Lost 1
CIN     57   45  .559 33-20 24-25 11-15 46-30  4- 4 17-16     6-4     Won 6
LAN     61   44  .581 31-22 30-22 11- 7 50-37  6- 3 18-11     7-3     Won 1
MLN     68   31  .687 39-14 29-17 16-13 52-18 13- 2 25- 9     8-2     Won 1
PHN     35   65  .350 19-32 16-33 11-27 24-38  3- 7 15-20     5-5     Lost 3
PIN     47   57  .452 25-29 22-28 11-16 36-41  3- 6 16-16     3-7     Won 2
SFN     55   47  .539 28-23 27-24 10- 8 45-39  7- 8 14-19     6-4     Lost 1
SLN     41   62  .398 18-29 23-33  8-28 33-34  4- 7 12-18     1-9     Lost 9
TOTAL  408  408  .500
HOME   215  193  .527
ROAD   193  215  .473
LEFT    90  132  .405
RIGHT  318  276  .535
 
TEAM   -APRIL   MAY  JUNE  JULY   AUG SEPT+  RUNS AGNST DIFF
CHN      8- 8 15-16  9-17 12-16  0- 0  0- 0    401   435  -34
CIN      6- 9 19-12 17-11 15-13  0- 0  0- 0    572   516  +56
LAN     11- 6 13-18 16-14 21- 6  0- 0  0- 0    479   426  +53
MLN     12- 1 20-11 18-11 18- 8  0- 0  0- 0    461   342 +119
PHN      4-10 11-21 10-16 10-18  0- 0  0- 0    368   528 -160
PIN      6- 8 14-19 15-15 12-15  0- 0  0- 0    434   478  -44
SFN      9- 7 18-11 15-16 13-13  0- 0  0- 0    451   378  +73
SLN      5-12 13-15 14-14  9-21  0- 0  0- 0    460   523  -63

League Leaders for 1959 National League                       Date: 8/1/1959
 
TEAM     WON LOST   BATTING AVERAGE     HOME RUNS           RUNS BATTED IN
1959 MLN  68  31    H.Aaron   MLN .360  H.Aaron   MLN   36  H.Aaron   MLN   90
1959 LAN  61  44    G.Bell    CIN .332  E.Banks   CHN   29  G.Bell    CIN   75
1959 CIN  57  45    D.Stuart  PIN .327  K.Boyer   SLN   25  K.Boyer   SLN   70
1959 SFN  55  47    C.Neal    LAN .322  F.Robinso CIN   24  F.Robinso CIN   69
1959 PIN  47  57    J.Cunning SLN .322  O.Cepeda  SFN   24  OTHERS TIED W   68
1959 CHN  44  57
1959 SLN  41  62    WINS                SAVES               ERA
1959 PHN  35  65    W.Spahn   MLN   17  R.Face    PIN   10  B.Buhl    MLN 1.95
                    D.Drysdal LAN   16  D.Elston  CHN    6  D.Drysdal LAN 2.18
                    L.Burdett MLN   15  T.Acker   CIN    6  L.Burdett MLN 2.80
                    J.Antonel SFN   13  C.Labine  LAN    6  V.Law     PIN 2.83
                    B.Friend  PIN   12  OTHERS TIED W    5  S.Jones   SFN 2.90
 
                    CUR HIT STREAK      STOLEN BASES        STRIKEOUTS
                    H.Aaron   MLN   13  J.Gilliam LAN   19  D.Drysdal LAN  161
                    B.White   SLN    7  D.Blasing SLN   18  J.Antonel SFN  125
                    G.Green   SLN    7  T.Taylor  CHN   17  L.Jackson SLN  119
                    A.Dark    CHN    6  V.Pinson  CIN   13  S.Jones   SFN  115
                    J.Cunning SLN    5  B.Bruton  MLN   13  S.Koufax  LAN  109

1959 NL Game: Pit @ LA

 July 28, 1959

  Larry Sherry had another incredible outing today, leading the Los Angeles Dodges to a 13-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sherry went the distance on the mound, getting his 4th Win of the season with a 1 hitter and had a great day at the plate. Sherry was 4 for 5 with 2 homeruns and 7 RBI. Two starts ago he hit 2 homers and had 8 RBI. He has now hit 6 homeruns this year. 

  The young rookie pitched in 5 games last season and was just called up from the minors on the 4th of July. He carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning tonight but Bernie Daniels hit a 2 run homer for the only hit Sherry allowed in the game. In 5 starts this season he is 4-1 with a 2.32 ERA. He certainly has been a joy to watch for Dodger fans. Both on the mound and at the plate.

BOXSCORE: 1959 Pittsburgh Pirates At 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers       7/28/1959
 
  Pirates            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Dodgers            AB  R  H RBI AVG
  R.Clemente RF       3  0  0  0 .335     J.Gilliam 3B        5  2  3  0 .273  
  D.Groat SS          4  0  0  0 .295     C.Neal 2B           5  0  2  2 .322  
  B.Skinner LF        4  0  0  0 .276     W.Moon LF           5  1  2  0 .295  
  D.Stuart 1B         3  0  0  0 .322     D.Snider CF         3  2  2  1 .182  
  S.Burgess C         2  0  0  0 .323     N.Larker 1B         5  2  4  2 .289  
  B.Mazeroski 2B      3  0  0  0 .243     R.Fairly RF         5  1  1  0 .221  
  D.Hoak 3B           1  1  0  0 .248     J.Pignatano C       4  0  0  0 .243  
  B.Virdon CF         3  0  0  0 .263     M.Wills SS          4  3  2  1 .248  
  B.Daniels P         2  1  1  2 .286     L.Sherry P          5  2  4  7 .650  
  R.Blackburn P       0  0  0  0 .000                                          
A-R.Nelson PH         1  0  0  0 .338                                          
  B.Porterfield P     0  0  0  0 .000                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      26  2  1  2                 Totals      41 13 20 13
 
A-Pinch Hit For Blackburn In 8th Inning
 
Pirates......... 0 0 0  0 0 2  0 0 0  -  2  1  0
Dodgers......... 1 2 0  0 0 1  6 3    - 13 20  1
 
Pirates (45-56)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
B.Daniels LOSS(6-5)       5 2/3  10   4   4   4   2   1   4.44
R.Blackburn               1 1/3   6   6   6   1   1   2   6.90
B.Porterfiel              1       4   3   3   0   1   0   6.19
Totals                    8      20  13  13   5   4   3
 
Dodgers (59-43)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
L.Sherry WIN(4-1)         9       1   2   2   4   6   1   2.32
Totals                    9       1   2   2   4   6   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 35,221 DATE- Tuesday, July 28th 1959 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Shag Crawford, Vic Delmore, Dusty Boggess, Al Barlick
T- 2:57
LEFT ON BASE- Pirates: 2  Dodgers: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Pirates: 3  Dodgers: 3
ERRORS- R.Fairly
DOUBLES- J.Gilliam(8th), W.Moon(15th), D.Snider(7th), N.Larker(7th),
         R.Fairly(8th), M.Wills(7th)
HOME RUNS- B.Daniels(1st), N.Larker(5th), L.Sherry-2(6th)
RBIs- B.Daniels-2, C.Neal-2(49th), D.Snider(36th), N.Larker-2(20th),
      M.Wills(9th), L.Sherry-7
WALKS- R.Clemente, D.Stuart, D.Hoak-2, J.Gilliam, D.Snider-2, J.Pignatano,
       M.Wills
HIT BY PITCH- S.Burgess
STRIKE OUTS- D.Groat, B.Skinner, D.Stuart-2, B.Virdon, B.Daniels, R.Fairly-3,
             L.Sherry
GIDP- S.Burgess, R.Nelson, C.Neal, W.Moon, N.Larker
WILD PITCHES- B.Daniels-2
2-out RBI- L.Sherry-5, C.Neal, M.Wills
RLISP 2-out- R.Fairly, M.Wills-2, C.Neal, D.Stuart
TEAM RISP- Pirates: 0 for 2  Dodgers: 7 for 15
 
Larry Sherry carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning and he cracked 2 homeruns
and had 7 RBI as the Los Angeles Dodgers destroyed the Pittsburgh Pirates by
a score of 13 to 2 at Memorial Coliseum.
 
Sherry had a big evening at the plate.  He lifted one out of the park for a
two run home run in the 2nd inning, laced a one-base hit which plated a run
in the 6th inning, clubbed a two-run home run in the 7th inning and slapped a
base-hit bringing home two baserunners in the 8th inning.  Los Angeles lit up
the scoreboard in the 7th inning when they had 6 runs on 6 hits.  Los Angeles
had 20 hits for the night.  
 
The winning pitcher was Sherry(4-1) who allowed 2 runs for the game.  The
right-handed Sherry lost his chance for a no-hitter when Bennie Daniels
homered with one out in the 6th inning.  Daniels(6-5) was the losing pitcher.
He was unable to control the Los Angeles offense and allowed 10 hits and 4
walks in 5 and 2/3 innings.  
 
'Sherry gave us exactly what we needed tonight.' Walter Alston said. 'When he
threw the fastball he threw it for strikes.  They were really fooled by his
change.  Most of the time he had them chasing it.'

1959 AL Game: Was. @ KC

 July 28, 1959

  The Washington Senatore put 21 runs on the scoreboard, destroying the Kansa City Athletics tonight 21-3. The Senators bats were red hot, getting 25 hits in the game. Faye Throneberry had 4 hits and 4 RBI while Jim Lemon chipped in with 5 RBI to lead the Senators attack. Camilio Pascual went the distance on the mound, getting his 11th Win of the season.  The 21 runs tied Washington with Detroit for most runs scored by a team in a game this year.  

BOXSCORE: 1959 Washington Senators At 1959 Kansas City Athletics    7/28/1959
 
  Senators           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Athletics          AB  R  H RBI AVG
  R.Bertoia 2B        4  1  2  3 .256     B.Tuttle CF         3  0  0  1 .304  
  F.Throneberry RF    7  3  4  4 .309     R.Snyder LF         5  0  1  0 .355  
  H.Killebrew 3B      7  3  4  3 .235     D.Williams 3B       5  0  0  0 .258  
  R.Sievers 1B        5  2  1  0 .278     R.Maris RF          4  0  3  0 .313  
  B.Allison CF        5  3  3  1 .251     J.Lumpe 2B          4  0  0  0 .253  
  J.Lemon LF          6  1  2  5 .232     K.Hadley 1B         4  0  0  0 .259  
  R.Samford SS        5  3  4  2 .257     H.Chiti C           4  1  1  0 .333  
  H.Naragon C         6  3  2  0 .212     J.Demaestri SS      4  2  3  0 .234  
  C.Pascual P         5  2  3  2 .350     J.Kucks P           2  0  0  0 .000  
                                          M.Dickson P         0  0  0  0 .286  
                                          T.Sturdivant P      0  0  0  0 .118  
                                        A-P.Ward PH           1  0  1  1 .276  
                                          H.Reed P            0  0  0  0 .000  
                                        B-F.House PH          1  0  1  1 .288  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      50 21 25 20                 Totals      37  3 10  3
 
A-Pinch Hit For Sturdivant In 7th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Reed In 9th Inning
 
Senators........ 0 3 1  0 0 4  9 4 0  - 21 25  2
Athletics....... 0 0 1  0 0 0  1 0 1  -  3 10  2
 
Senators (36-63)         IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
C.Pascual WIN(11-8)       9      10   3   2   1   8   0   2.72
Totals                    9      10   3   2   1   8   0
 
Athletics (47-50)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
J.Kucks LOSS(6-5)         5 2/3   9   7   6   1   2   1   3.69
M.Dickson                 1      10  10  10   1   1   1   5.95
T.Sturdivant              0 1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   4.12
H.Reed                    2       5   4   4   3   2   0   7.23
Totals                    9      25  21  20   5   5   2
 
ATTENDANCE- 17,029 DATE- Tuesday, July 28th 1959 TIME- Night WEATHER- Good
UMPIRES- Jim Honochick, Red Flaherty, Frank Umont, Charlie Berry
T- 3:22
LEFT ON BASE- Senators: 9  Athletics: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Senators: 1  Athletics: 0
ERRORS- H.Killebrew-2, R.Snyder, J.Demaestri
DOUBLES- R.Bertoia(7th), F.Throneberry(11th), H.Killebrew-3(12th),
         B.Allison(8th), J.Lemon(15th), R.Samford-2(15th), C.Pascual,
         J.Demaestri(11th)
TRIPLES- B.Allison(5th), J.Demaestri-2(7th)
HOME RUNS- F.Throneberry(12th), H.Killebrew(25th)
RBIs- R.Bertoia-3(25th), F.Throneberry-4(32nd), H.Killebrew-3(60th),
      B.Allison(56th), J.Lemon-5(49th), R.Samford-2(24th), C.Pascual-2,
      B.Tuttle(19th), P.Ward(11th), F.House(29th)
SACRIFICE FLIES- R.Bertoia-2, B.Tuttle
WALKS- R.Bertoia, R.Sievers, B.Allison, R.Samford, C.Pascual, B.Tuttle
STRIKE OUTS- R.Bertoia, F.Throneberry, H.Killebrew, R.Sievers, B.Allison,
             B.Tuttle, R.Snyder, D.Williams, K.Hadley-2, H.Chiti, J.Kucks-2
GIDP- J.Lumpe
2-out RBI- R.Bertoia, F.Throneberry-3, H.Killebrew, J.Lemon-3, R.Samford,
           P.Ward
RLISP 2-out- R.Sievers-2, H.Chiti, F.Throneberry, B.Tuttle-2, J.Lumpe,
             H.Naragon, D.Williams-2
TEAM RISP- Senators: 12 for 20  Athletics: 2 for 11
 
Faye Throneberry had 4 hits and 4 RBI and Camilo Pascual allowed Cookie
Lavagetto to rest his bullpen, tossing a complete game at Kansas City as the
Washington Senators embarrassed the Kansas City Athletics by the lopsided
score of 21 to 3.
 
Throneberry had a big day against Kansas City.  He delivered a base-hit in the
1st inning, belted a three-run homer in the 6th inning, lashed a single in
the 7th inning and doubled bringing in a run in the 8th inning.  Washington
kept the scorekeepers busy in the 6th inning which saw them plate 4 runs on 5
hits, the 7th inning with 9 runs on 9 hits and the 8th inning when they had 4
runs on 5 hits.  Washington finished with 25 hits in the victory.  
 
The victory went to Pascual(11-8) who went the distance allowing 3 runs.
Johnny Kucks(6-5) was tagged with the loss.  Washington scored big getting 7
runs off him in 5 and 2/3 innings.