1961 Baltimore Orioles season

1961 Baltimore Orioles

League| American League
Ballpark| Memorial Stadium
City| Baltimore, Maryland
Record| 95–67 (.586)
League place| 3rd
Owners| Jerold Hoffberger, Joseph Iglehart
General managers| Lee MacPhail
Managers| Paul Richards, Lum Harris
Television| WJZ-TV
Radio| WBAL (AM)
(Bob Murphy, Herb Carneal)
| <- 1960 | Seasons | 1962 ->

|
|

The 1961 Baltimore Orioles season involved the Orioles finishing third in the American League with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses, 14 games behind the AL and World Series champion New York Yankees. The team was managed by Paul Richards and Lum Harris, and played their home games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.

## Offseason[edit]

* October 13, 1960: Del Rice was released by the Orioles.[1]
* October 13, 1960: Dave Philley was released by the Orioles.[2]
* January 24, 1961: Bob Boyd, Al Pilarcik, Jim Archer, Wayne Causey, and Clint Courtney were traded by the Orioles to the Kansas City Athletics for Whitey Herzog and Russ Snyder. Clint Courtney was returned to the Orioles on April 14.[3]
* January 31, 1961: Dave Philley was signed as a free agent by the Orioles.[2]
* February 9, 1961: Darold Knowles was signed as an amateur free agent by the Orioles.[4]
* February 24, 1961: Frank House was purchased by the Orioles from the Cincinnati Reds.[5]

## Regular season[edit]

Roger Maris of the Yankees hit his 59th and 60th home runs of the season against the Orioles, tying what was at the time Babe Ruth's single-season record. The 59th was hit on September 20 at Memorial Stadium,[6] and the 60th was hit on September 26 at Yankee Stadium.

### Opening Day starters[edit]

* Jackie Brandt
* Marv Breeding
* Jim Gentile
* Ron Hansen
* Milt Pappas
* Brooks Robinson
* Russ Snyder
* Gene Stephens
* Gus Triandos[7]

### Season standings[edit]

* v
* t
* e

American League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road

|
|
|
|
|
|

New York Yankees | 109 | 53  | 0.673  | —  | 65–16  | 44–37
Detroit Tigers | 101 | 61  | 0.623  | 8  | 50–31  | 51–30
Baltimore Orioles | 95 | 67  | 0.586  | 14  | 48–33  | 47–34
Chicago White Sox | 86 | 76  | 0.531  | 23  | 53–28  | 33–48
Cleveland Indians | 78 | 83  | 0.484  | 30½  | 40–41  | 38–42
Boston Red Sox | 76 | 86  | 0.469  | 33  | 50–31  | 26–55
Minnesota Twins | 70 | 90  | 0.438  | 38  | 36–44  | 34–46
Los Angeles Angels | 70 | 91  | 0.435  | 38½  | 46–36  | 24–55
Kansas City Athletics | 61 | 100  | 0.379  | 47½  | 33–47  | 28–53
Washington Senators | 61 | 100  | 0.379  | 47½  | 33–46  | 28–54

### Record vs. opponents[edit]

1961 American League record

* v
* t
* e

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Team  | BAL  | BOS  | CHW  | CLE  | DET  | KCA  | LAA  | MIN  | NYY  | WSH
Baltimore | — | 11–7 | 11–7 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 9–9–1 | 14–4
Boston | 7–11 | — | 9–9 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 11–7–1 | 11–7 | 5–13 | 10–8
Chicago | 7–11 | 9–9 | — | 12–6 | 6–12 | 14–4 | 10–8 | 9–9–1 | 6–12 | 13–5
Cleveland | 9–9 | 13–5 | 6–12 | — | 6–12 | 8–9 | 10–8 | 10–8 | 4–14 | 12–6
Detroit | 9–9 | 10–8 | 12–6 | 12–6 | — | 12–6–1 | 14–4 | 11–7 | 8–10 | 13–5
Kansas City | 5–13 | 8–10 | 4–14 | 9–8 | 6–12–1 | — | 9–9 | 7–11 | 4–14 | 9–9
Los Angeles | 10–8 | 7–11–1 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 4–14 | 9–9 | — | 8–9 | 6–12 | 10–8
Minnesota | 7–11 | 7–11 | 9–9–1 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 11–7 | 9–8 | — | 4–14 | 8–9
New York | 9–9–1 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 14–4 | 10–8 | 14–4 | 12–6 | 14–4 | — | 11–7
Washington | 4–14 | 8–10 | 5–13 | 6–12 | 5–13 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 9–8 | 7–11 | —

### Notable transactions[edit]

* April 12, 1961: Chuck Essegian and Jerry Walker were traded by the Orioles to the Kansas City Athletics in exchange for Dick Hall and Dick Williams.[8]
* May 24, 1961: Walt Dropo was released by the Orioles.[9]
* June 8, 1961: Gene Stephens was traded by the Orioles to the Kansas City Athletics for Marv Throneberry.[10]
* July 21, 1961: Frank House was traded by the Orioles to the Detroit Tigers for Harry Chiti.[5]

### Roster[edit]

1961 Baltimore Orioles

Roster
Pitchers

* 13 Steve Barber
* 28 Hal Brown
* 23 Chuck Estrada
* 48 Jack Fisher
* 38,29 Dick Hall
* 20 Billy Hoeft
* 38 Dick Hyde
* 19 Gordon Jones
* 39 Jim Lehew
* 39 John Papa
* 32 Milt Pappas
* 18 Wes Stock
* 15 Hoyt Wilhelm

|  | Catchers

* 2 Clint Courtney
* 36 Hank Foiles
* 44 Charley Lau
* 11 Gus Triandos
* 42 Frank Zupo

Infielders

* 7 Jerry Adair
* 1 Marv Breeding
* 17 Walt Dropo
* 4 Jim Gentile
* 3 Ron Hansen
* 5 Brooks Robinson

|  | Outfielders

* 25 Jackie Brandt
* 16 Jim Busby
* 6,27 Whitey Herzog
* 22 Dave Philley
* 30 Boog Powell
* 14 Earl Robinson
* 40 Barry Shetrone
* 9 Russ Snyder
* 8 Gene Stephens
* 8 Marv Throneberry
* 10 Dick Williams

Other batters

* 10 Chuck Essegian

|  | Manager

* 12 Paul Richards
* 26 Lum Harris

Coaches

* 45 Jimmy Adair
* 31 Harry Brecheen
* 26 Lum Harris

## Player stats[edit]

### Batting[edit]

#### Starters by position[edit]

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

Pos  | Player  | G  | AB  | H  | Avg.  | HR  | RBI

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

C | Gus Triandos | 115 | 397 | 97 | .244 | 17 | 63
1B | Jim Gentile | 148 | 486 | 147 | .302 | 46 | 141
2B | Jerry Adair | 133 | 386 | 102 | .264 | 9 | 37
3B | Brooks Robinson | 163 | 668 | 192 | .287 | 7 | 61
SS | Ron Hansen | 155 | 533 | 132 | .248 | 12 | 51
LF | Dick Williams | 103 | 310 | 64 | .206 | 8 | 24
CF | Jackie Brandt | 139 | 516 | 153 | .297 | 16 | 72
RF | Whitey Herzog | 113 | 323 | 94 | .291 | 5 | 35

#### Other batters[edit]

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

Player  | G  | AB  | H  | Avg.  | HR  | RBI

|
|
|
|
|
|

Russ Snyder | 115 | 312 | 91 | .292 | 1 | 13
Marv Breeding | 90 | 244 | 51 | .209 | 1 | 16
Earl Robinson | 96 | 222 | 59 | .266 | 8 | 30
Dave Philley | 99 | 144 | 36 | .250 | 1 | 23
Hank Foiles | 43 | 124 | 34 | .274 | 6 | 19
Marv Throneberry | 56 | 96 | 20 | .208 | 5 | 11
Jim Busby | 75 | 89 | 23 | .258 | 0 | 6
Gene Stephens | 32 | 58 | 11 | .190 | 0 | 2
Charley Lau | 17 | 47 | 8 | .170 | 1 | 4
Clint Courtney | 22 | 45 | 12 | .267 | 0 | 4
Walt Dropo | 14 | 27 | 7 | .259 | 1 | 2
Boog Powell | 4 | 13 | 1 | .077 | 0 | 1
Barry Shetrone | 3 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 0 | 1
Frank Zupo | 5 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 0
Chuck Essegian | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0

### Pitching[edit]

#### Starting pitchers[edit]

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

Player  | G  | IP  | W  | L  | ERA  | SO

|
|
|
|
|
|

Steve Barber | 37 | 248.1 | 18 | 12 | 3.33 | 150
Chuck Estrada | 33 | 212.0 | 15 | 9 | 3.69 | 160
Jack Fisher | 36 | 196.0 | 10 | 13 | 3.90 | 118
Milt Pappas | 26 | 177.2 | 13 | 9 | 3.04 | 89
Hal Brown | 27 | 166.2 | 10 | 6 | 3.19 | 61

#### Other pitchers[edit]

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

Player  | G  | IP  | W  | L  | ERA  | SO

|
|
|
|
|
|

Billy Hoeft | 35 | 138.0 | 7 | 4 | 2.02 | 100
Dick Hall | 29 | 122.1 | 7 | 5 | 3.09 | 92

#### Relief pitchers[edit]

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

Player  | G  | W  | L  | SV  | ERA  | SO

|
|
|
|
|
|

Hoyt Wilhelm | 51 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 2.30 | 87
Wes Stock | 35 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3.01 | 47
Dick Hyde | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5.57 | 15
Gordon Jones | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.40 | 4
Jim Lehew | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0
John Papa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.00 | 3

## Farm system[edit]

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level  | Team  | League  | Manager

|
|
|

AAA | Rochester Red Wings | International League | Clyde King
AA | Little Rock Travelers | Southern Association | Fred Hatfield
AA | Victoria/Ardmore Rosebuds | Texas League | George Staller
B | Tri-City Braves | Northwest League | Whitey McDowell and Billy DeMars
B | Fox Cities Foxes | Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League | Earl Weaver
C | Stockton Ports | California League | Harry Dunlop
C | Aberdeen Pheasants | Northern League | Lou Fitzgerald
D | Bluefield Orioles | Appalachian League | Dee Phillips, Walter Youse,
Joe Cusick and Bud Bates
D | Leesburg Orioles | Florida State League | Billy DeMars, Cal Ripken Sr.
and Ray Scarborough

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Aberdeen
Victoria club moved to Ardmore, May 27, 1961

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Del Rice page at Baseball Reference
2. ^ a b Dave Philley page at Baseball Reference
3. ^ Whitey Herzog page at Baseball Reference
4. ^ Darold Knowles page at Baseball Reference
5. ^ a b Frank House page at Baseball Reference
6. ^ "Box Score of Game played on Wednesday, September 20, 1961 at Memorial Stadium".
7. ^ "1961 Baltimore Orioles Roster by Baseball Almanac".
8. ^ "Chuck Essegian Stats".
9. ^ Walt Dropo page at Baseball Reference
10. ^ Marv Throneberry page at Baseball Reference

## References[edit]

* Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
* 1961 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference
* 1961 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com

* v
* t
* e

1961 MLB season by team

American League|

* Baltimore
* Boston
* Chicago
* Cleveland
* Detroit
* Kansas City
* Los Angeles
* Minnesota
* New York
* Washington

National League|

* Chicago
* Cincinnati
* Los Angeles
* Milwaukee
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* St. Louis
* San Francisco

* 1961 All-Star Game (1st, 2nd)
* 1961 World Series
* 1961 MLB expansion draft

* v
* t
* e

Baltimore Orioles

* Established in 1901
* Formerly the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Browns
* Based in Baltimore, Maryland

Franchise|

* History
* in St. Louis
* Seasons
* No-hitters
* Records
* Players
* Managers
* Owners and executives
* Broadcasters
* Opening Day starting pitchers
* First-round draft picks

Ballparks|

* Borchert Field
* Lloyd Street Grounds
* Sportsman's Park
* Memorial Stadium
* Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Spring training
Majestic Park
West End Park
Coffee Pot Park
Wright Field
Tech Field
Perris Hill Park
Yuma Municipal Stadium
City Island Ball Park
Scottsdale Stadium
Miami Stadium
Ed Smith Stadium
Al Lang Stadium
Fort Lauderdale Stadium

Culture|

* Baltimore & Ohio Warehouse at Camden Yards
* Hall of Fame
* "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"
* Baltimore Chop
* Going My Way
* A Winner Never Quits
* "The Letter" (Seinfeld episode)
* Seven Nation Army

Lore|

* Grandstand Managers Night
* Jeffrey Maier
* Miracle Mets
* 1910 Chalmers Award
* Wild Bill Hagy
* "Why Not?!"
* The Streak
* 1999 Cuba national baseball team exhibition
* 2015 crowdless game
* 2020 MLB Little League Classic

Rivalries|

* Washington Nationals

Key personnel|

* Owner: Peter Angelos
* Executive Vice President/General Manager: Mike Elias
* Manager: Brandon Hyde

World Series
championships (3)|

* 1966
* 1970
* 1983

American League
pennants (7)|

* 1944
* 1966
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1979
* 1983

AL East
division titles (10)|

* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1973
* 1974
* 1979
* 1983
* 1997
* 2014
* 2023

AL Wild Card
(3)|

* 1996
* 2012
* 2016

Minor league
affiliates|

* Triple-A: Norfolk Tides
* Double-A: Bowie Baysox
* High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds
* Single-A: Delmarva Shorebirds
* Rookie:
* FCL Orioles
* DSL Orioles Black
* DSL Orioles Orange

Broadcasting|

Mid-Atlantic Sports Network
Radio
Orioles Radio Network
Announcers
Kevin Brown
Geoff Arnold
Scott Garceau
Melanie Newman
Jim Palmer
Ben McDonald

Seasons (121)

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