The names on
the Baseball Hall of Fame Golden Age Committee’s ballot considered for the
Class of 2022 induction on July 24 brings back memories of the 1964 Major
League season. That year, both the American and the National League pennant
races went down to the last games of the season before a winner emerged. All
ten of the candidates on the Golden Days Committee’s ballot were active in the
Major Leagues that season; five in the National League and five in the American
League. I discussed the five candidates that played in the National League
during that season, Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Billy Pierce, Maury Wills, and Danny
Murtaugh, in my previous post. I will
discuss the five candidates in the American League in this one.
Most
baseball magazines predicted the New York Yankees to continue their domination
of the American League in 1964. Beginning in 1949, the franchise had won 13
American League pennants and nine World Series championships. The 1964 pennant
race, however, turned out to be a tight one. The Yankees did not clinch the
pennant until the next to last game of the season, October 3, finishing one
game ahead of the Chicago White Sox and two ahead of the Baltimore Orioles.
Four-time All Star right fielder Roger Maris hit .281 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI for the Yankees. The two-time American League Most Valuable Player, 1960 and 1961, along with Yankee great Mickey Mantle (35 HRs and 111 RBI in 1964) were a dangerous site for opposing pitchers. In 1961, Maris hit 61 home runs in 161 games, barely missing Babe Ruth’s record of 60 in 151 games. However, he never came close to that 1961 home run level again hitting 33 in 1962 and 23 in 1963.
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| Roger Maris |
In
1964, 38 years-old Saturnino Orestes “Minnie” Minoso’s had come to the close
of his career. Two years after helping the New York Cubans win the Negro League
World Series in 1947, Minoso began a seven-time All Star, 17 years career in
Major League baseball. He became the first dark-skinned Latino Major League
star player. The 1964 season would be Minoso’s third stint with the Chicago
White Sox (1951 – 1957 and 1960 – 1961). In 30 games he had seven hits,
including his last Major League home run. Minoso played briefly in games with
the White Sox in 1976 and 1980 to be one of the few who played Major League
baseball in five decades.
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| Minnie Minoso |
After finishing second in 1962 and third in 1963, the Minnesota Twins slipped to sixth place in 1964. However, Twins’ left-handed pitcher Jim Kaat had a solid season. After he struggled in 1963 (10 – 10, 4.12 ERA), Kaat rebounded going 17 – 11 with a 3.22 ERA. Kaat would pitch another 19 years with 283 career wins, 190 in his 15 years (1959 – 1973) with Minnesota. A 3-time 20+ games winner, Kaat won 25 games with the Twins in 1966.
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| Jim Kaat |
The biggest surprise for the Twins that disappointing 1964 season came in their rookie right fielder, Tony Oliva. Named the American League 1964 Rookie of the Year, Oliva hit .323 with 217 hits, 32 home runs and 94 RBI. The native Cuban won the American League Batting Title and then won it again in 1965 (.321, 16 HRs, 98 RBI) helping the Twins capture the American League pennant. Hobbled by knee injuries the last five of his 15 years Major League career, the 8-time All-Star finished with 220 home runs, 947 RBI, and a .304 batting average.
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| Tony Oliva |
Gil
Hodges became the manager of the Washington Senators in the early part of the
1963 season. Earlier in his career (1943 - 1963), Hodges played first base for the Brooklyn
Dodgers who from 1949 - 1956 won five National League pennants and one World
Series championship (1955). The eight-time All-Star also helped the Dodgers win
the pennant and World Series in 1959 after the franchise relocated to Los
Angeles. In 1964 the Senators finished
in ninth place. Hodges became manager of the New York Mets in 1968 and led the
team to a World Series champions in 1969.
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| Jackie Robinson & Gil Hodges |
Minoso,
Kaat, Oliva, and Hodges each got the necessary twelve votes (75% of the 16
Golden Age Committee members) for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. A pioneer
in the 1950s racial integration of Major League baseball, Minoso's (195 HRs,
1,093 RBI, .299 BA), recognition by the Hall of Fame had been overdue. Seventy-five percent of the committee
members did not overlook Jim Kaat’s lengthy career of excellence and the
brilliant, but injury affected career of Tony Oliva. Gil Hodges (370 career HRs
and 1,274 career RBI) will finally join his Brooklyn Dodger teammates Pee Wee
Reese, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Duke Snider in the Hall of Fame.
Roger
Maris’ chances of getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame appear to be decreasing.
He hit 270 career home runs and his single season record of 61 in 1961 stood
until broken by Mark McGwire (70) and Sammy Sosa (66) in 1998. He played with
three World Series championship teams, the 1961 and 1962 New York Yankees and
the 1967 St. Louis Cardinals. However, Maris did not receive the twelve votes
needed for Hall of Fame induction this year. He will not be eligible for
reconsideration by the Golden Days Committee until 2027.
All pictures via Google Images
For daily baseball historical Twitter notices go to Kevin L. Mitchell @ LastTraintocoop
