IN THE NEWS: Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia is sold to J. Schleifer Properties. The park is to be torn down after the 1963 season and replaced by bowling alleys.
IN THE NEWS: The Yankees reacquire P Duke Maas, trading INF Fritz Brickell to the Angels in exchange. The Angels had paid the Yanks $75,000 for Maas in the 1960 expansion draft.
IN THE NEWS: After President John F. Kennedy throws out the first ball, the new Washington team loses its first regular-season game, 43, to the White Sox. Former Sox pitcher Dick Donovan, picked up in the expansion draft, is the loser, though he will end the season with a league-leading 2.40 ERA.
Ted Kluszewski's two home runs highlight the American League Los Angeles Angels first win, as Eli Grba beats Baltimore 72.
At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees, led by new manager Ralph Houk, are shut out by Minnesota's Pedro Ramos, 60. Ramos has a two-run single and allows just three singles in beating Whitey Ford. Ford, however, will finish the season at 254.
The wine of victory turns sour for the Giants in their home opener when Bill Virdon clouts a 2-out 3-run home run off reliever Mike McCormick to give the Pirates an 87 win.
IN THE NEWS: Alvin Dark pulls all the right strings to give the Giants a 65 win over the Pirates. Joey Amalfitano, hitting for cleanup man Willie McCovey in the 8th, singles in Willie Mays for a 4-4 tie; new catcher Hobie Landrith homers in the 11th to tie at five apiece, and Harvey Kuenn's single in the 12th wins it.
IN THE NEWS: Joe McClain earns the new Senators' first win, defeating Cleveland 32.
At Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the Reds Wally Post lines a tape measure shot off the Budweiser sign atop the scoreboard in the Reds, 73 win. If the ball had not hit the sign, some estimate the shot could have traveled close to 600 feet.
IN THE NEWS: The Dodgers and Pirates tie a major-league record by turning nine DPs (Los Angeles 5, Pittsburgh 4) in a 9-inning 41 Buc home win. It is the only the 2nd time (July 3, 1929) that nine DPs have been turned in a National League game.
IN THE NEWS: In a 95 St. Louis win in the opener of a doubleheader, Dodger Duke Snider hits his 370th home run over the LF screen taking 7th place on the all-time list. But in his next at bat, the Duke suffers the consequences, sustaining a broken elbow when hit by Bob Gibson pitch.
At Yankee Stadium, 1,947 fans braves the freezing rain to watch Whitey Ford shut out Kansas City, 30. Mickey Mantle drives in all three Yankee runs, connecting a solo shot off Jerry Walker in the first inning.
IN THE NEWS: Washington's Marty Kutyna pitches brilliantly in relief, yielding four hits in six 1/3 scoreless innings to ruin Chicago's home opener, 72. As in Washington's opener, JFK throws out first ballbut this JFK is from Oak Lawn, near Chicago. Eddie Gaedel and seven other midgets act as vendors in the box seat sections. This is Veeck's response to complaints that vendors were blocking the view of fans.
IN THE NEWS: Art Mahaffey fans a batter in each inning and 17 in all, a Phillies' record, while beating the Cubs, 60. The Phils win the first game 1-0 behind Frank Sullivan.
IN THE NEWS: Two weeks after the Celtics win the NBA Championship, reserve center Gene Conley tosses his first American League victory, a 61 win over the visiting Senators. Conley, obtained from the Phils over the winter, beats Pete Burnside.
Norm Bass picks up the win for the Kansas City Athletics in a 202 rout of the visiting Twins. Norm's brother Dick will pick up 1,000 yards this year for the Rams.
IN THE NEWS: Roger Maris hits his first home run of 1961 off Paul Foytack of Detroit, and Mickey Mantle adds home runs from both sides of the plate (for the 8th time), as New York wins 1310 at Tiger Stadium. Mantle's 2nd homer, a 2-run shot off Hank Aguirre, snaps a 1010 tie in the 10th.
Cincinnati's Jerry Lynch becomes the 6th player in National League history to hit two consecutive pinch-hit home runs. This one today is not enough as Chicago wins 32.
IN THE NEWS: The Angels draw a disappointing crowd of 11,931 for their home opener against the Twins at LA Wrigley Field. Ty Cobb, in his last appearance at a ball park, throws out the first ball. The Twins Camilo Pascual spoils the opener by winning 42, sending the Angels to their 8th loss in nine games.
Gabe Paul resigns as GM of the Houston Colt 45s for the same job at Cleveland. He replaces Frank Lane.
IN THE NEWS: Five days past his 40th birthday, Warren Spahn becomes the 2nd-oldest ML pitcher (after Cy Young) to hurl a no-hitter, blanking San Francisco 10. Hank Aaron drives in the only run off loser Sam Jones, who strikes out 10. It is Spahn's 290th win and 52nd shutout. Spahn faces just 27 men, following each walk by starting a DP.
IN THE NEWS: Frustrated by a poor start, Jackie Jensen jumps the Red Sox for eight days.
Using Joey Amalfitano's bat, Willie Mays becomes the 9th player in ML history to enjoy a 4-HR game, and his eight RBI pace the Giants to a 144 win at Milwaukee's County Stadium. Led by Willie's 4, the Giants total a record tying eight homers (and 13 in two games) as Orlando Cepeda (2), Felipe Alou, and Jose Pagan also homer. Willie's 6th inning homer clears the LF bleachers at County Stadium. Hank Aaron collects a pair for the Braves for all the scoring. Billy Loes is the winning pitcher, and it marks the 4th time he has been in uniform at a game where a player has hit four homers: Loes was with the Dodgers in '50 and '54 when Gil Hodges and the Braves Joe Adcock connected, and with the Orioles in '59 when Rocky Colavito collected four.
Jim Gentile, Gus Triandos, and Ron Hansen hit consecutive home runs in the 7th inning for the Orioles, as they beat Detroit 42 to split a twin bill. The O's had one hit in the 1st six innings off Paul Foytack. The Tigers win the opener, 82, after going scoreless in six innings against young Steve Barber.
Philadelphia and St. Louis tie a ML record, and set a National League mark, by using eight pinch hitters in the 8th inning. The Phils finally win in 10 innings, 117.
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