1959 Cleveland Indians Season
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1959 Cleveland Indians Season
The 1959 Cleveland Indians season was the 59th in franchise history. The Indians finished in second place in the American League with a record of 89 wins and 65 losses, five games behind the AL Champion Chicago White Sox. Offseason * October 27, 1958: Jay Porter was traded by the Indians to the Washington Senators for Ossie Álvarez. * November 20, 1958: Don Mossi, Ray Narleski, and Ossie Álvarez were traded by the Indians to the Detroit Tigers for Billy Martin and Al Cicotte. * December 2, 1958: Vic Wertz and Gary Geiger were traded by the Indians to the Boston Red Sox for Jimmy Piersall. *January 23, 1959: Earl Averill, Jr. and Morrie Martin were traded by the Indians to the Chicago Cubs for Jim Bolger and John Briggs. Regular season On June 10, right fielder Rocky Colavito hit four home runs in one game against the Baltimore Orioles. Season standings Record vs. opponents Notable transactions * April 11, 1959: Mickey Vernon was traded by the Indi ...
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Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football. The stadium opened in 1931 and is best known as the long-time home of the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians) of Major League Baseball, from 1932 to 1993 (including 1932–1946 when games were split between League Park and Cleveland Stadium), and the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL), from 1946 to 1995, in addition to hosting other teams, other sports, and concerts. The stadium was a four-time host of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, one of the host venues of the 1948 and 1954 World Series, and the site of the original Dawg Pound, Red Right 88, and The Drive. Through most of its tenure as a baseball facility, the stadium was the largest in Major League Baseball by seating capacity, seating over ...
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Don Mossi
Donald Louis Mossi (January 11, 1929 – July 19, 2019) was an American major league pitcher from 1954 to 1965. He was a left-handed control pitcher whose strikeout-to-walk ratio was regularly among the league leaders (he led the league in 1961). He retired with 101 wins, 50 saves, and a career earned run average of 3.43. Early life Mossi was born in St. Helena, California, the son of Patience (Woodworth) and Louis Mossi. He grew up in Daly City and went to Jefferson High School. At Jefferson High he was a star football player, twice earning all-Peninsula Athletic League honors as a quarterback. Professional career Mossi was spotted at an early age and signed by the Cleveland Indians after leaving high school in 1949. He was assigned to Class-A Bakersfield. At Bakersfield, Mossi exhibited control issues; he walked 115 batters in 195 innings in his first year. He nonetheless progressed with his career, posting a 2.92 ERA in 122 innings for the Wichita Indians in 1951. Mossi ...
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John Briggs (baseball)
Johnathan Tift Briggs (January 24, 1934 – December 25, 2018) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for all or parts of five seasons for the Chicago Cubs (1956–58), Cleveland Indians (1959–60), and Kansas City Athletics (1960). Born in Natoma, a district of Folsom, California, the right-hander was listed as tall and . Briggs initially signed with his hometown team, the Sacramento Solons of the Open-Classification Pacific Coast League, in 1952. In 1954, he led the Class A Western International League in strikeouts (233) and earned run average (2.50) and won 20 of 28 decisions as a member of the Salem Senators. After two three-game trials with the Cubs in 1956 and 1957, he rejoined the Cubs in the midst of the 1958 campaign and took a spot in their starting rotation. He split ten decisions in 20 games pitched (with 17 starts) and put up an ERA of 4.52. He threw what would be his only MLB shutout on June 24, scattering eight hi ...
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Jim Bolger (baseball)
James Cyril Bolger (February 23, 1932 – April 9, 2020) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He appeared in 312 games over all or parts of seven Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, but spent over two-thirds of his big-league playing time — 260 games — as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Bolger had short stints with the Cincinnati Reds (nine games), Cleveland Indians (eight), and Philadelphia Phillies (35 games). His MLB totals included 140 hits, 14 doubles, six triples, and six home runs, with a career batting average of .229. Bolger threw and batted right-handed. During his playing days, he stood tall and weighed . Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bolger attended Purcell Marian High School. He began his pro career with the Reds, also playing Minor League Baseball (MiLB) in their farm system. On October 14, 1951, Bolger was traded by the Cincinnati Redlegs to Buffalo for pitchers Moe Savransky and Tom Acker. Bolger's best MLB season came in 1957. He spent the full ...
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Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located on Chicago's North Side. The Cubs are one of two major league teams based in Chicago; the other, the Chicago White Sox, is a member of the American League (AL) Central division. The Cubs, first known as the White Stockings, were a founding member of the NL in 1876, becoming the Chicago Cubs in 1903. Throughout the club's history, the Cubs have played in a total of 11 World Series. The 1906 Cubs won 116 games, finishing 116–36 and posting a modern-era record winning percentage of , before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox ("The Hitless Wonders") by four games to two. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, becoming the first major league team to play in three consecutive World Series, an ...
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Morrie Martin
Morris Webster Martin (September 3, 1922 – May 24, 2010), nicknamed "Lefty", was an American professional baseball player. The left-handed pitcher worked in 250 games in Major League Baseball over ten seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1949), Philadelphia Athletics (1951–1954), Chicago White Sox (1954–1956), Baltimore Orioles (1956), St. Louis Cardinals (1957–1958), Cleveland Indians (1958) and Chicago Cubs (1959). Martin was born in Dixon, Missouri; he was listed as standing tall and weighing . Martin's professional career began in 1941 in the White Sox' organization. After two seasons, including 25 games in the top-level American Association, he entered the United States Army. Assigned to the First Army's 49th Combat Engineers, he participated in Operation Torch, Operation Overlord, Operation Cobra and the Battle of the Bulge. According to Gary Bedingfield's Baseball in Wartime, Martin was badly wounded in action at least twice: "At the Battle of the Bulge, he s ...
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Earl Averill, Jr
Earl Douglas Averill (September 9, 1931 – May 13, 2015) was an American professional baseball player who was a catcher and outfielder in the Major Leagues in 1956 and from 1958 to 1963 for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. He was commonly called Earl Averill Jr. to distinguish him from his father, Howard Earl Averill, who was a Hall of Fame baseball player in his own right. Averill was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where his father was a star for the Indians. The younger Averill threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . He played college baseball for the University of Oregon (UO) from 1951 to 1953, and while a sophomore had a .439 batting average. Averill was the UO's first All-American in baseball, and was named to the UO Hall of Fame in 1997. He signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent after his college career ended, and began his professional career in 1953 with the Reading Indians, ...
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Jimmy Piersall
James Anthony Piersall (November 14, 1929 – June 3, 2017) was an American baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for five teams, from 1950 through 1967. Piersall was best known for his well-publicized battle with bipolar disorder that became the subject of a book and a film, ''Fear Strikes Out''. Early life Piersall led the Leavenworth High School (Waterbury, Connecticut) basketball team to the 1947 New England championship, scoring 29 points in the final game. Early athletic career Piersall became a professional baseball player at age 18, having signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox in 1948. He reached Major League Baseball in 1950, playing in six games as one of its youngest players. In 1952, he earned a more substantial role with the Red Sox, frequently referring to himself as "the Waterbury Wizard," a nickname not well received by teammates. On June 10, 1953, he set the Red Sox club record for hits in a nine-inning game, with ...
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Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox' home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox" name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, , following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings," including the Boston Braves (now the Atlanta Braves). The team has won nine World Series championships, tied for the third-most of any MLB team, and has played in 13 World Series. Their most recent World Series appearance and win was in . In addition, they won the American League pennant, but were not able to defend their 1903 World Series championship when the New York Giants refused to participate in the 1904 World Series. The Red Sox were a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pira ...
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Gary Geiger
Gary Merle Geiger (April 4, 1937 – April 24, 1996) was a major league outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Houston Astros from (1958-1970). He was born in Sand Ridge, Illinois. His offseason home while a major leaguer was Murphysboro, Illinois."Hard-Luck Gary Geiger Sidelined", ''The Washington Post and Times-Herald'', June 9, 1965, Page D2. His wife Lyn's parents were St. Louis, Missouri residents."Ulcer Operation Will Sideline Geiger 10 Days", ''The Washington Post and Times-Herald'', February 25, 1964, Page D2. Career statistics His career batting average was .246, with 77 home runs and 283 runs batted in. He was a weak hitter against left-handed pitching. He fielded 985, with 24 lifetime errors. He was a fast runner, once timed at 3.5 seconds from home plate to first on a bunt. Geiger ranked 8th in stolen bases in 1959 & 1961 with 9 & 16 steals respectively, but as high as 2nd in 1962 with 18 steals although he was caught 11 times. Geiger ...
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Vic Wertz
Victor Woodrow Wertz (February 9, 1925 – July 7, 1983) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He had a 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career from 1947 to 1963. He played for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Minnesota Twins; all teams within the American League. Career Wertz was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers in 1942, and played in their minor league system until making his major league debut in 1947. He hit for the cycle on September 14, 1947, while in his rookie season with Detroit. Wertz finished in the Top 15 in MVP voting five times: 1949 (10th), 1950 (10th), 1956 (9th), 1957 (6th), and 1960 (14th). Wertz was among the Top 10 in the American League in home runs in 1949 (20), 1950 (27), 1951 (27), 1952 (23), 1953 (19), 1956 (32), and 1957 (28). His 1956 total of 32 home runs was 2nd best in the AL. For his career, he hit 266 home runs and 1,178 RBIs with a .469 ...
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Al Cicotte
Alva Warren Cicotte (; December 23, 1929 – November 29, 1982), nicknamed "Bozo", was a Major League Baseball (MLB) player. Cicotte pitched in 102 MLB games, 16 as a starter, and compiled a record of 10–13. In 260 innings pitched, Cicotte had an earned run average of 4.36. Originally signed by the New York Yankees in 1948, he played in their minor league system for the following decade before making his major league debut on April 22, 1957. He pitched in 20 games for the Yankees and had a 2–2 record and a 3.03 earned run average (ERA). He spent the next two seasons with the Washington Senators (1958), Detroit Tigers (1958), and Cleveland Indians (1959) He spent 1960 in the minor leagues, where he pitched an 11-inning no-hitter for the International League Toronto Maple Leafs against the Montreal Royals on September 3, 1960. He walked four batters, three of them in the first inning, and retired 29 men in a row until infielder Sparky Anderson bobbled a ball in the 11th. For ...
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