# 1957 Major League Baseball season

The 1957 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1957. The regular season ended on September 29, with the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 54th World Series on October 2 and ended with Game 7 on October 10. The Braves defeated the Yankees, four games to three, capturing their second championship in franchise history, their first since 1914, and first in Milwaukee. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Yankees from the 1956 season.
The 24th Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held on July 9 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. The American League won, 6–5.
The National League's Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants played their final seasons as New York City-based franchises before their moves to California for the 1958 season, leaving New York City without a National League team until the founding of the expansion New York Mets in 1962.
On April 22, the Philadelphia Phillies became the 14th team in professional baseball to break the color line when they fielded John Kennedy.

## Schedule

The 1957 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.
American League Opening Day took place on April 15, featuring the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators, while National League Opening Day took place the following day, featuring all eight NL teams. This was the first season since 1953 that both leagues opened on different days. The final day of the regular season was on September 29, which saw all sixteen teams play, continuing the trend from 1955. The World Series took place between October 2 and October 10.

## Teams

| League | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
| American League | Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Memorial Stadium | 47,778 | Paul Richards |
| American League | Boston Red Sox | Boston, Massachusetts | Fenway Park | 34,824 | Pinky Higgins |
| American League | Chicago White Sox | Chicago, Illinois | Comiskey Park | 46,550 | Marty Marion |
| American League | Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | Cleveland Stadium | 73,811 | Kerby Farrell |
| American League | Detroit Tigers | Detroit, Michigan | Briggs Stadium | 58,000 | Jack Tighe |
| American League | Kansas City Athletics | Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Stadium | 30,296 | Lou Boudreau |
| American League | Kansas City Athletics | Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Stadium | 30,296 | Harry Craft |
| American League | New York Yankees | New York, New York | Yankee Stadium | 67,000 | Casey Stengel |
| American League | Washington Senators | Washington, D.C. | Griffith Stadium | 29,023 | Chuck Dressen |
| American League | Washington Senators | Washington, D.C. | Griffith Stadium | 29,023 | Cookie Lavagetto |
| National League | Brooklyn Dodgers | New York, New York | Ebbets Field | 31,902 | Walter Alston |
| National League | Chicago Cubs | Chicago, Illinois | Wrigley Field | 36,755 | Bob Scheffing |
| National League | Cincinnati Redlegs | Cincinnati, Ohio | Crosley Field | 29,584 | Birdie Tebbetts |
| National League | Milwaukee Braves | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Milwaukee County Stadium | 43,768 | Fred Haney |
| National League | New York Giants | New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 54,500 | Bill Rigney |
| National League | Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Connie Mack Stadium | 33,359 | Mayo Smith |
| National League | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Forbes Field | 34,249 | Bobby Bragan |
| National League | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Forbes Field | 34,249 | Danny Murtaugh |
| National League | St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, Missouri | Busch Stadium | 30,500 | Fred Hutchinson |

## Standings
### American League

vteAmerican League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| New York Yankees | 98 | 56 | .636 | — | 48‍–‍29 | 50‍–‍27 |
| Chicago White Sox | 90 | 64 | .584 | 8 | 45‍–‍32 | 45‍–‍32 |
| Boston Red Sox | 82 | 72 | .532 | 16 | 44‍–‍33 | 38‍–‍39 |
| Detroit Tigers | 78 | 76 | .506 | 20 | 45‍–‍32 | 33‍–‍44 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 76 | 76 | .500 | 21 | 42‍–‍33 | 34‍–‍43 |
| Cleveland Indians | 76 | 77 | .497 | 21½ | 40‍–‍37 | 36‍–‍40 |
| Kansas City Athletics | 59 | 94 | .386 | 38½ | 37‍–‍40 | 22‍–‍54 |
| Washington Senators | 55 | 99 | .357 | 43 | 28‍–‍49 | 27‍–‍50 |

### National League

vteNational League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Milwaukee Braves | 95 | 59 | .617 | — | 45‍–‍32 | 50‍–‍27 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 87 | 67 | .565 | 8 | 42‍–‍35 | 45‍–‍32 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 84 | 70 | .545 | 11 | 43‍–‍34 | 41‍–‍36 |
| Cincinnati Redlegs | 80 | 74 | .519 | 15 | 45‍–‍32 | 35‍–‍42 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 77 | 77 | .500 | 18 | 38‍–‍39 | 39‍–‍38 |
| New York Giants | 69 | 85 | .448 | 26 | 37‍–‍40 | 32‍–‍45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 62 | 92 | .403 | 33 | 36‍–‍41 | 26‍–‍51 |
| Chicago Cubs | 62 | 92 | .403 | 33 | 31‍–‍46 | 31‍–‍46 |

## Postseason
### Bracket

| World Series | World Series | World Series |
| AL | New York Yankees | 3 |
| NL | Milwaukee Braves | 4 |

## Managerial changes
### Off-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Chicago Cubs | Stan Hack | Bob Scheffing |
| Cleveland Indians | Al López | Kerby Farrell |
| Detroit Tigers | Bucky Harris | Jack Tighe |

### In-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Kansas City Athletics | Lou Boudreau | Harry Craft |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Bobby Bragan | Danny Murtaugh |
| Washington Senators | Chuck Dressen | Cookie Lavagetto |

## League leaders

Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.

### American League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Ted Williams (BOS) | .388 |
| OPS | Ted Williams (BOS) | 1.257 |
| HR | Roy Sievers (WSH) | 42 |
| RBI | Roy Sievers (WSH) | 114 |
| R | Mickey Mantle (NYY) | 121 |
| H | Nellie Fox (CWS) | 196 |
| SB | Luis Aparicio (CWS) | 28 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Jim Bunning (DET) Billy Pierce (CWS) | 20 |
| L | Chuck Stobbs (WSH) | 20 |
| ERA | Bobby Shantz (NYY) | 2.45 |
| K | Early Wynn (CLE) | 184 |
| IP | Jim Bunning (DET) | 267.1 |
| SV | Bob Grim (NYY) | 19 |
| WHIP | Frank Sullivan (BOS) | 1.055 |

### National League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Stan Musial (STL) | .351 |
| OPS | Stan Musial (STL) | 1.034 |
| HR | Hank Aaron (MIL) | 44 |
| RBI | Hank Aaron (MIL) | 132 |
| R | Hank Aaron (MIL) | 118 |
| H | Red Schoendienst (MIL/NYG) | 200 |
| SB | Willie Mays (NYG) | 38 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Warren Spahn (MIL) | 21 |
| L | Robin Roberts (PHI) | 22 |
| ERA | Johnny Podres (BKN) | 2.66 |
| K | Jack Sanford (PHI) | 188 |
| IP | Bob Friend (PIT) | 277.0 |
| SV | Clem Labine (BKN) | 17 |
| WHIP | Johnny Podres (BKN) | 1.082 |

## Records and notable events

* The 1957 season marked the first time that both the American and National League leader in Complete Games had less than 20 Complete Games to lead their league.

## Awards and honors
### Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards :
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Jack Sanford (PHI) | Tony Kubek (NYY) |
| Cy Young Award | Warren Spahn (MIL) | — |
| Most Valuable Player | Hank Aaron (MIL) | Mickey Mantle (NYY) |
| Gold Glove Awards |||
| Position | National League | American League |
| Pitcher | — | Bobby Shantz (NYY) |
| Catcher | — | Sherm Lollar (CWS) |
| 1st Base | Gil Hodges (BKN) | — |
| 2nd Base | — | Nellie Fox (CWS) |
| 3rd Base | — | Frank Malzone (BOS) |
| Shortstop | Roy McMillan (CIN) | — |
| Left field | — | Minnie Miñoso (CWS) |
| Center field | Willie Mays (NYG) | — |
| Right field | — | Al Kaline (DET) |

### Other awards

* Sport Magazine's World Series Most Valuable Player Award: Lew Burdette (MIL)
* Babe Ruth Award (BBWAA World Series MVP): Lew Burdette (MIL)
The Sporting News Awards :
| Award | National League | American League |
| Player of the Year | — | Ted Williams (BOS) |
| Pitcher of the Year | Warren Spahn (MIL) | Billy Pierce (CWS |
| Rookie of the Year (Player) | Ed Bouchee (PHI) | Tony Kubek (NYY) |
| Rookie of the Year (Pitcher) | Jack Sanford (PHI) | — |
| Manager of the Year | Fred Hutchinson (STL) | — |
| Executive of the Year | Frank Lane (STL) | — |

### Baseball Hall of Fame

* Sam Crawford
* Joe McCarthy (manager)

## Home field attendance

| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
| Milwaukee Braves | 95 | 3.3% | 2,215,404 | 8.3% | 28,403 |
| New York Yankees | 98 | 1.0% | 1,497,134 | 0.4% | 19,443 |
| Detroit Tigers | 78 | −4.9% | 1,272,346 | 21.0% | 16,524 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 87 | 14.5% | 1,183,575 | 14.9% | 15,371 |
| Boston Red Sox | 82 | −2.4% | 1,181,087 | 3.9% | 15,339 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 77 | 8.5% | 1,146,230 | 22.6% | 14,695 |
| Chicago White Sox | 90 | 5.9% | 1,135,668 | 13.6% | 14,749 |
| Cincinnati Redlegs | 80 | −12.1% | 1,070,850 | −4.9% | 13,907 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 76 | 10.1% | 1,029,581 | 14.2% | 13,371 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 84 | −9.7% | 1,028,258 | −15.3% | 13,354 |
| Kansas City Athletics | 59 | 13.5% | 901,067 | −11.2% | 11,702 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 62 | −6.1% | 850,732 | −10.4% | 11,048 |
| Cleveland Indians | 76 | −13.6% | 722,256 | −16.5% | 9,380 |
| Chicago Cubs | 62 | 3.3% | 670,629 | −6.9% | 8,598 |
| New York Giants | 69 | 3.0% | 653,923 | 3.9% | 8,493 |
| Washington Senators | 55 | −6.8% | 457,079 | 5.9% | 5,936 |

## Events
### April–June

* April 18 – New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses proposes a new 78-acre (320,000 m$^2$) tract in Flushing Meadows as a site for a new National League baseball stadium. The plan, submitted to mayor Robert Wagner, includes a 50,000-seat stadium with a plastic dome to be built by the Parks Department.
* April 21 – The Cincinnati Redlegs are involved in a bizarre play in a game against the host Milwaukee Braves. With Don Hoak on second and Gus Bell on first, Wally Post hits a ground ball to Milwaukee shortstop Johnny Logan. Hoak breaks up a potential double play by fielding the ball himself and flipping it to Logan. Hoak is called out for interference (contact with batted ball before a fielder touched it), but Post is given a single on the play. The day before, Johnny Temple let Bell's ground ball hit him with the same result, Temple being called out for interference and Bell being awarded a single. The two incidents prompt league presidents Warren Giles and Will Harridge to jointly announce a rule change that declared both the runner and batter out if the runner intentionally interfered with a batted ball, with no runners allowed to advance.
* April 22 – John Irvin Kennedy becomes the first black player in Philadelphia Phillies history, entering the game in the top of the 8th inning as a pinch runner for Solly Hemus.
* April 24 – The New York City Board Of Estimates fails to act on the Moses plan as outlined by Mayor Wagner.
* May 7 – Cleveland Indian pitcher Herb Score is hit in the face by a line drive by New York Yankee Gil McDougald, the ball breaking numerous bones in Score's face and leaving him quite bloodied. McDougald vows to quit if Score is blinded as a result. Score regains his 20/20 vision, but will miss the remainder of the 1957 season.
* May 10 – San Francisco mayor George Christopher confers with Giants owner Horace Stoneham on a possible move of the New York Giants franchise to the West Coast.
* May 28 – The National League approves the proposed moves of the Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers to the West Coast, provided both clubs make their request before October 1 and move at the same time.
* May 29 – New York City mayor Robert Wagner says he plans to confer with the Giants and Dodgers about the proposed move, but that the city will not be "blackjacked" into anything.
* May 30 – Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley rejects an offer from a Queens group to buy the team.
* June 9 – Ernie Banks hits 100th career home run helping Chicago Cubs beat Philadelphia Phillies 7–3.

### July–September

* July 18 – Horace Stoneham states the Giants will leave New York after the season. He says he has not heard anything more from San Francisco and that his move is not contingent on that of the Dodgers. Stoneham sees a new stadium or joint occupancy with the New York Yankees as the only reason for the Giants to stay in New York.
* July 26 – Mickey Mantle hits 200th career home run.
* August 19 – As Stoneham cites poor attendance as the reason for the Giants' move, the team's board of directors votes 8–1 to move to California in 1958, as San Francisco promises a new stadium in the Bayview area. The only dissenting vote is by M. Donald Grant, who would go on to become one of the founders of the New York Mets.
* August 20 – Bob Keegan of the Chicago White Sox no-hits the Washington Senators 6–0 in the second game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park. The no-hitter is the first by a White Sox pitcher since Bill Dietrich in 1937.
* September 5 & 6 – the only time that a walk-off home run is hit in consecutive days by a pitcher. Bob Grim homers for the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox, followed the next day by Dixie Howell homering for the Chicago White Sox against the Kansas City Athletics.
* September 14 – Ernie Banks hits 3 home runs helping Chicago Cubs beat Pittsburgh Pirates 7–3.
* September 23 – The Milwaukee Braves clinch the National League pennant at Milwaukee County Stadium after Braves slugger (and eventual 1957 National League MVP) Hank Aaron clubs a two-run walk-off home run off of Billy Muffett in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Milwaukee a 4–2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
* September 24 – In the last game at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field in a night game, 6,702 fans watch Dodgers lefty Danny McDevitt prevail over the Pittsburgh Pirates 2–0. Brooklyn's Gil Hodges has the last RBI.
* September 29 – With 1895 Giants manager Jack Doyle among the 11,606 looking on, the Giants lose their last game at the Polo Grounds 9–1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pirates pitcher Bob Friend defeats Johnny Antonelli in the historic contest, and fans storm the field for souvenirs as soon as Dusty Rhodes grounds to Pittsburgh shortstop Dick Groat for the final out.

### October

* October 7 – the Los Angeles City Council approves the Chavez Ravine site for Dodger Stadium by a vote of 10 to 4.
* October 8 – Walter O'Malley announces that the Dodgers will move to Los Angeles for the 1958 season. New York would not have a National League team again until the expansion New York Mets began play in 1962.

## Television coverage

CBS aired the Game of the Week for the third consecutive year, and began to air games on Sunday as well as Saturday.
NBC also started to air weekend games, purchasing the rights to broadcast 11 Milwaukee Braves games, 11 Pittsburgh Pirates games, two Washington Senators games, and two Chicago Cubs games. The All-Star Game and World Series also aired on NBC.