Harman Patil (Editor)

1961 Milwaukee Braves season

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Record
  
83–71 (.539)

Owner(s)
  
Louis R. Perini

Local television
  
none

League place
  
4th

General manager(s)
  
John McHale

Manager(s)
  
Chuck Dressen, Birdie Tebbetts

The Milwaukee Braves' 1961 season saw the team win 83 games and lose 71, good for fourth place in the final National League standings, ten games short of the NL Champion Cincinnati Reds.

Contents

Offseason

  • October 14, 1960: Red Schoendienst was released by the Braves.
  • October 14, 1960: Stan Lopata was released by the Braves.
  • December 3, 1960: Billy Martin was purchased by the Braves from the Cincinnati Reds.
  • December 14, 1960: Joe Azcue was purchased by the Braves from the Cincinnati Reds.
  • Prior to 1961 season (exact date unknown)
  • Jim Campbell was traded by the Braves to the Houston Colt .45s for Morrie Martin.
  • Clay Carroll was signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent.

    • Regular season

    On April 28, Warren Spahn threw a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants.

    On June 8, against the Cincinnati Reds, four consecutive Braves batters hit home runs off pitchers Jim Maloney (two) and Marshall Bridges (two more) in the seventh inning. The batters who accomplished this feat were Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock, and Frank Thomas. Oddly, both Adcock and Thomas were former players for the Reds.

    Notable transactions

  • April 1961: Morrie Martin was released by the Braves.
  • May 9, 1961: Mel Roach was traded by the Braves to the Chicago Cubs for Frank Thomas.
  • May 10, 1961: Wes Covington was selected off waivers from the Braves by the Chicago White Sox.
  • June 1, 1961: Billy Martin was traded by the Braves to the Minnesota Twins for Billy Consolo.

    • Managerial turnover

    Chuck Dressen, 66, was fired September 4, 1961, less than a month shy of finishing his second year as the Braves' manager. The club was 71–58 (.558) and in third place, seven games in arrears of the front-running Cincinnati Reds, when the change was announced. The Braves were 159–124 (.562) under Dressen's command. His successor was executive vice president Birdie Tebbetts, 48, a former Cincinnati manager, who came down from the Milwaukee front office to take the reins; Tebbetts was signed through the 1963 season but he would spend only 1962 as the Braves' skipper before leaving to become manager of the 1963 Cleveland Indians. Tebbetts retained two of Dressen's coaches, Andy Pafko and Whit Wyatt, while George Myatt departed for the American League Detroit Tigers.

    Starters by position

    Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

    Other batters

    Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

    Starting pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    Other pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    Relief pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    League leaders

  • Warren Spahn, National League leader, wins

    • Farm system

    LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Louisville

    References

    1961 Milwaukee Braves season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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