1956 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
| 1956 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 17 – October 10, 1956 |
| Number of games | 154 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| TV partner(s) | NBC, CBS |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Mickey Mantle (NYY) NL: Don Newcombe (BKN) |
| AL champions | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Cleveland Indians |
| NL champions | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| NL runners-up | Milwaukee Braves |
| World Series | |
| Champions | New York Yankees |
| Runners-up | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| World Series MVP | Don Larsen (NYY) |
| MLB seasons | |
The 1956 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 17 to October 10, 1956, featuring eight teams in the National League and eight teams in the American League. The 1956 World Series was a rematch of the previous year's series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. The series is notable for Yankees pitcher Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5.
Standings
American League
| National League
|
Postseason
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 | ||
| NL | Brooklyn Dodgers | 3 | ||
Awards and honors
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Statistical leaders
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Feats
Triple Crown
- Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees – Mantle won the Major League Triple Crown by leading both leagues in batting average (.353), home runs (52), and runs batted in (130). Mantle became the first player to win a Triple Crown since Ted Williams in 1947.
Milestones
- On April 18, 1956, umpire Ed Rommel was the first umpire to wear glasses in a Major League game. The game was played between the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators.[1]
Managers
American League
| Team | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | Paul Richards | |
| Boston Red Sox | Pinky Higgins | |
| Chicago White Sox | Marty Marion | Finished 3rd |
| Cleveland Indians | Al López | Finished 2nd |
| Detroit Tigers | Bucky Harris | |
| Kansas City Athletics | Lou Boudreau | |
| New York Yankees | Casey Stengel | Won World Series |
| Washington Senators | Chuck Dressen |
National League
| Team | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Dodgers | Walter Alston | Won Pennant |
| Chicago Cubs | Stan Hack | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Birdie Tebbetts | Finished 3rd |
| Milwaukee Braves | Charlie Grimm and Fred Haney | Finished 2nd |
| New York Giants | Bill Rigney | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Mayo Smith | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Bobby Bragan | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Fred Hutchinson |
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Braves[2] | 92 | 8.2% | 2,046,331 | 2.0% | 26,576 |
| New York Yankees[3] | 97 | 1.0% | 1,491,784 | 0.1% | 19,374 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers[4] | 93 | -5.1% | 1,213,562 | 17.4% | 15,761 |
| Boston Red Sox[5] | 84 | 0.0% | 1,137,158 | -5.5% | 14,579 |
| Cincinnati Redlegs[6] | 91 | 21.3% | 1,125,928 | 62.3% | 14,622 |
| Detroit Tigers[7] | 82 | 3.8% | 1,051,182 | -11.1% | 13,477 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[8] | 76 | 11.8% | 1,029,773 | 21.3% | 13,202 |
| Kansas City Athletics[9] | 52 | -17.5% | 1,015,154 | -27.1% | 13,184 |
| Chicago White Sox[10] | 85 | -6.6% | 1,000,090 | -14.9% | 12,988 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[11] | 66 | 10.0% | 949,878 | 102.4% | 12,178 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[12] | 71 | -7.8% | 934,798 | 1.3% | 12,140 |
| Baltimore Orioles[13] | 69 | 21.1% | 901,201 | 5.8% | 11,704 |
| Cleveland Indians[14] | 88 | -5.4% | 865,467 | -29.2% | 11,240 |
| Chicago Cubs[15] | 60 | -16.7% | 720,118 | -17.8% | 9,001 |
| New York Giants[16] | 67 | -16.3% | 629,179 | -23.7% | 8,171 |
| Washington Senators[17] | 59 | 11.3% | 431,647 | 1.5% | 5,606 |
Notable events
June
- June 21 — Jack Harshman of the Chicago White Sox defeats Connie Johnson of the Baltimore Orioles 1–0, at Comiskey Park in which both pitchers throw matching one-hitters. This game was only the third double one-hitter thrown in the modern era (since 1901).[18]
July–September
- September 21 – The New York Yankees set a Major League record by leaving 20 players on base against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.[19]
October–December
- December 6–8 – Major League owners meet in Chicago. Cleveland general manager and minority-owner Hank Greenberg proposed implementing limited Interleague play beginning in 1958. Under Greenberg's proposal, each team would continue to play 154-games in a season, 126 of which would be within their league, and 28 against the eight clubs in the other league. The interleague games would all be played during a period immediately following the All-Star Game. The proposal was not adopted.[20]
Television coverage
CBS aired the Saturday Game of the Week for the second consecutive year. The All-Star Game and World Series aired on NBC.
See also
References
- ^ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.43, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
- ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "June 21, 1956 boxscore of double one-hitter from Baseball Reference". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Left on Base – Team Records in a Game". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- ^ Drebinger, John (December 6, 1956). "Player limit, Interleague Games Top Issues on Majors' Agenda". New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
External links
- 1956 Major League Baseball season schedule
