BASEBALL'S WEEK
Maury Allen
September 19, 1960
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Expected power (six homers by Mantle and Maris) and unexpected power (eight HRs by Lopez, McDougald and Kubek) put the
New York Yankees
back in the lead for the ninth time this year. The
Baltimore Orioles
, suffering from illness (see page 33), slipped in the West and fell to second. Manager Lopez of the
Chicago White Sox
got timely hitting from Ted Kluszewski and a strong win from previously unsteady Bob Shaw ("He looked like a different guy," said Lopez"). Fourth place still belonged to the Washington Senators after a split with their Cleveland pursuers. Jim Lemon neared 40 homers and planned to ask Owner Cal Griffith for $1,000 for each one in next year's contract. The
Cleveland Indians
made a mild surge as Rookie Pitcher Frank Funk won twice. A sentimental Ted Williams Night in Briggs Stadium helped Boston but not the
Detroit Tigers
, who lost six in a row. The
Red Sox
made menacing overtures for sixth, counted on a spoiler role (10 games left with the contenders) and some late-season fun. Inspired by beauty contests at home plate, the
Kansas City Athletics
closed in on the 850,000 home attendance needed to keep the team in KC. Said one fan: "Keep the franchise and get rid of the team."
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TEAM LEADERS: BATTING
|
|
AMERICAN LEAGUE
|
|
NY
|
Skowron
|
.303
|
Berra
|
.286
|
Kubek
|
.283
|
|
Bait
|
Robinson
|
.298
|
Gentile
|
.284
|
Woodling
|
.284
|
|
Chi
|
Smith
|
.311
|
Sievers
|
.310
|
Minoso
|
.304
|
|
Wash
|
Green
|
.299
|
Lemon
|
.278
|
Bertoia
|
.277
|
|
Clev
|
Kuenn
|
.309
|
Aspromonte
|
.302
|
Power
|
.296
|
|
Det
|
Cash
|
.278
|
Kaline
|
.269
|
Colavito
|
.247
|
|
Bos
|
Runnels
|
.323
|
Williams
|
.321
|
Nixon
|
.278
|
|
KC
|
Siebern
|
.281
|
Williams
|
.280
|
Snyder
|
.264
|
|
NATIONAL LEAGUE
|
|
Pitt
|
Groat
|
.325
|
Clemente
|
.320
|
Burgess
|
.285
|
|
StL
|
White
|
.290
|
Boyer
|
.289
|
Musial
|
.280
|
|
Mil
|
Adcock
|
.300
|
Aaron
|
.290
|
Crandall
|
.285
|
|
LA
|
Larker
|
.333
|
Moon
|
.301
|
Wills
|
.291
|
|
SF
|
Mays
|
.317
|
Cepeda
|
.304
|
Alou
|
.280
|
|
Cin
|
Robinson
|
.295
|
Kasko
|
.294
|
Post
|
.294
|
|
Chi
|
Ashburn
|
.297
|
Banks
|
.278
|
Altman
|
.258
|
|
Phil
|
Taylor
|
.291
|
Herrera
|
.283
|
Gonzalez
|
.270
|
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Expected power (six homers by Mantle and Maris) and unexpected power (eight HRs by Lopez, McDougald and Kubek) put the
New York Yankees
back in the lead for the ninth time this year. The
Baltimore Orioles
, suffering from illness (see page 33), slipped in the West and fell to second. Manager Lopez of the
Chicago White Sox
got timely hitting from Ted Kluszewski and a strong win from previously unsteady Bob Shaw ("He looked like a different guy," said Lopez"). Fourth place still belonged to the Washington Senators after a split with their Cleveland pursuers. Jim Lemon neared 40 homers and planned to ask Owner Cal Griffith for $1,000 for each one in next year's contract. The
Cleveland Indians
made a mild surge as Rookie Pitcher Frank Funk won twice. A sentimental Ted Williams Night in Briggs Stadium helped Boston but not the
Detroit Tigers
, who lost six in a row. The
Red Sox
made menacing overtures for sixth, counted on a spoiler role (10 games left with the contenders) and some late-season fun. Inspired by beauty contests at home plate, the
Kansas City Athletics
closed in on the 850,000 home attendance needed to keep the team in KC. Said one fan: "Keep the franchise and get rid of the team."
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Not even the loss of Captain Dick Groat could detour the
Pittsburgh Pirates
into losing ways. Fiery Don Hoak put it succinctly: "It's all over." The
St. Louis Cardinals
, with no more games with the Pirates, seemed certain to finish second best. Warren Spahn pitched three times in five days, but the
Milwaukee Braves
failed to get the necessary sweep over Pittsburgh. "If we only had relief pitching," moaned Manager Dressen. The
Los Angeles Dodgers
tried youngsters Willie Davis and Charlie Smith, appeared resigned to a bleak fourth. Chub Feeney,
San Francisco Giants
vice-president, hinted at a housecleaning. Only untouchables: Willie Mays, Mike McCormick, Juan Marichal, Felipe Alou and Orlando Cepeda. Probably first to go: Johnny Antonelli (5-7) and Willie McCovey (.231). Bob Purkey (17 wins) could become the
Cincinnati Reds' first 20-game winner since Ewell Blackwell. "If you watch him warm up," Birdie Tebbetts once said, "you wouldn't give 5� for him." Rumblings were heard around the
Chicago Cubs
. College men Jerry Kindall ( Minnesota) and Mark Freeman (LSU) supported Manager Boudreau ( Illinois); other players were either indifferent or antagonistic. The
Philadelphia Phillies
staged a teen-agers' "future Phils" game. Result: a Phillie-like bloop single in five innings.
[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]
