# 1962 Major League Baseball season

The 1962 major league baseball season began on April 9, 1962. The regular season ended on October 3, with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a regular season best-of-three tiebreaker, for the National League title in three games, after both teams finished their 162-game schedules with identical 101–61 records. This was the fifth regular season tie-breaker. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 59th World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 7 on October 16. In the seventh iteration of this World Series matchup, and their first since the Giants relocated to San Francisco from New York, the Yankees defeated the Giants, four games to three, capturing their 20th championship in franchise history, winning back-to-back World Series.
For the fourth and final year, there were two separate All-Star Games played. The first, the 32nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 11 at District of Columbia Stadium in Washington, D.C., home of the Washington Senators. The National League won, 3–1. The second, the 33rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 31 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Cubs. The American League won, 9–4.
In response to the proposed Continental League, the National League announced expansion during the 1960 World Series, with a new team in Houston, Texas and a new team in New York, New York. The 1962 season would see the Houston Colt .45s and New York Mets enfranchised, the latter being the National League's return to New York City after a four-year absence.

## Schedule

The 1962 schedule consisted of 162 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had ten teams. Each team was scheduled to play 18 games against the other nine teams of their respective league. The 162-game, 18 games per team format had previously been used by the American League since the previous season due to expansion and was the first season that the National League used it due to their own expansion. The format would be used until 1969.
Opening Day took place on April 9, featuring four teams. The final day of the scheduled regular season was on October 1, which saw all 20 teams play, the first time all existing teams played on the final day since 1960. Due to the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants finishing with the same record of 101–61, a best-of-three tie-breaker was scheduled, to be considered an extension of the regular season, and took place between October 1 and October 3. The World Series took place between October 4 and October 16.

## Teams

| League | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
| American League | Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Memorial Stadium | 49,373 | Billy Hitchcock |
| American League | Boston Red Sox | Boston, Massachusetts | Fenway Park | 33,357 | Pinky Higgins |
| American League | Chicago White Sox | Chicago, Illinois | White Sox Park | 46,550 | Al López |
| American League | Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | Cleveland Stadium | 73,811 | Mel McGaha |
| American League | Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | Cleveland Stadium | 73,811 | Mel Harder |
| American League | Detroit Tigers | Detroit, Michigan | Tiger Stadium | 52,850 | Bob Scheffing |
| American League | Kansas City Athletics | Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Stadium | 34,165 | Hank Bauer |
| American League | Los Angeles Angels | Los Angeles, California | Dodger Stadium | 56,000 | Bill Rigney |
| American League | Minnesota Twins | Bloomington, Minnesota | Metropolitan Stadium | 39,525 | Sam Mele |
| American League | New York Yankees | New York, New York | Yankee Stadium | 67,337 | Ralph Houk |
| American League | Washington Senators | Washington, D.C. | District of Columbia Stadium | 43,500 | Mickey Vernon |
| National League | Chicago Cubs | Chicago, Illinois | Wrigley Field | 36,755 | College of Coaches |
| National League | Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Crosley Field | 30,322 | Fred Hutchinson |
| National League | Houston Colt .45s | Houston, Texas | Colt Stadium | 32,601 | Harry Craft |
| National League | Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles, California | Dodger Stadium | 56,000 | Walter Alston |
| National League | Milwaukee Braves | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Milwaukee County Stadium | 43,768 | Birdie Tebbetts |
| National League | New York Mets | New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 56,000 | Casey Stengel |
| National League | Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Connie Mack Stadium | 33,608 | Gene Mauch |
| National League | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Forbes Field | 35,500 | Danny Murtaugh |
| National League | San Francisco Giants | San Francisco, California | Candlestick Park | 42,553 | Alvin Dark |
| National League | St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, Missouri | Busch Stadium | 30,500 | Johnny Keane |

## Standings
### American League

vteAmerican League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| New York Yankees | 96 | 66 | .593 | — | 50‍–‍30 | 46‍–‍36 |
| Minnesota Twins | 91 | 71 | .562 | 5 | 45‍–‍36 | 46‍–‍35 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 86 | 76 | .531 | 10 | 40‍–‍41 | 46‍–‍35 |
| Detroit Tigers | 85 | 76 | .528 | 10½ | 49‍–‍33 | 36‍–‍43 |
| Chicago White Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 11 | 43‍–‍38 | 42‍–‍39 |
| Cleveland Indians | 80 | 82 | .494 | 16 | 43‍–‍38 | 37‍–‍44 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 77 | 85 | .475 | 19 | 44‍–‍38 | 33‍–‍47 |
| Boston Red Sox | 76 | 84 | .475 | 19 | 39‍–‍40 | 37‍–‍44 |
| Kansas City Athletics | 72 | 90 | .444 | 24 | 39‍–‍42 | 33‍–‍48 |
| Washington Senators | 60 | 101 | .373 | 35½ | 27‍–‍53 | 33‍–‍48 |

### National League

vteNational League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| San Francisco Giants | 103 | 62 | .624 | — | 61‍–‍21 | 42‍–‍41 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 102 | 63 | .618 | 1 | 54‍–‍29 | 48‍–‍34 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 98 | 64 | .605 | 3½ | 58‍–‍23 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 93 | 68 | .578 | 8 | 51‍–‍30 | 42‍–‍38 |
| Milwaukee Braves | 86 | 76 | .531 | 15½ | 49‍–‍32 | 37‍–‍44 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 84 | 78 | .519 | 17½ | 44‍–‍37 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 81 | 80 | .503 | 20 | 46‍–‍34 | 35‍–‍46 |
| Houston Colt .45s | 64 | 96 | .400 | 36½ | 32‍–‍48 | 32‍–‍48 |
| Chicago Cubs | 59 | 103 | .364 | 42½ | 32‍–‍49 | 27‍–‍54 |
| New York Mets | 40 | 120 | .250 | 60½ | 22‍–‍58 | 18‍–‍62 |
* The San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-three tie-breaker series to earn the National League pennant.

## Postseason
### Bracket

| World Series | World Series | World Series |
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 |
| NL | San Francisco Giants | 3 |

## Managerial changes
### Off-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Baltimore Orioles | Lum Harris | Billy Hitchcock |
| Cleveland Indians | Mel Harder | Mel McGaha |
| Houston Colt .45s | Team enfranchised | Harry Craft |
| New York Mets | Team enfranchised | Casey Stengel |

### In-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Cleveland Indians | Mel McGaha | Mel Harder |

## League leaders
### American League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Pete Runnels (BOS) | .326 |
| OPS | Mickey Mantle (NYY) | 1.091 |
| HR | Harmon Killebrew (MIN) | 48 |
| RBI | Harmon Killebrew (MIN) | 48 |
| R | Albie Pearson (LAA) | 115 |
| H | Bobby Richardson (NYY) | 209 |
| SB | Luis Aparicio (CWS) | 31 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Ralph Terry (NYY) | 23 |
| L | Chuck Estrada (BAL) Ed Rakow (CWS) | 17 |
| ERA | Hank Aguirre (DET) | 2.21 |
| K | Camilo Pascual (MIN) | 206 |
| IP | Ralph Terry (NYY) | 298.2 |
| SV | Dick Radatz (BOS) | 24 |
| WHIP | Hank Aguirre (DET) | 1.051 |

### National League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Tommy Davis (LAD) | .346 |
| OPS | Frank Robinson (CIN) | 1.045 |
| HR | Willie Mays (SF) | 49 |
| RBI | Tommy Davis (LAD) | 153 |
| R | Frank Robinson (CIN) | 134 |
| H | Tommy Davis (LAD) | 230 |
| SB | Maury Wills (LAD) | 104 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Don Drysdale (LAD) | 25 |
| L | Roger Craig (NYM) | 24 |
| ERA | Sandy Koufax (LAD) | 2.54 |
| K | Don Drysdale (LAD) | 232 |
| IP | Don Drysdale (LAD) | 314.1 |
| SV | Roy Face (PIT) | 28 |
| WHIP | Sandy Koufax (LAD) | 1.036 |

## Awards and honors
### Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards :
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Ken Hubbs (CHC) | Tom Tresh (NYY) |
| Cy Young Award | Don Drysdale (LAD) | — |
| Most Valuable Player | Maury Wills (LAD) | Mickey Mantle (NYY) |
| Gold Glove Awards |||
| Position | National League | American League |
| Pitcher | Bobby Shantz (STL/HOU) | Jim Kaat (MIN) |
| Catcher | Del Crandall (MIL) | Earl Battey (MIN) |
| 1st Base | Bill White (STL) | Vic Power (MIN) |
| 2nd Base | Ken Hubbs (CHC) | Bobby Richardson (NYY) |
| 3rd Base | Jim Davenport (SF) | Brooks Robinson (BAL) |
| Shortstop | Maury Wills (LAD) | Luis Aparicio (CWS) |
| Outfield | Bill Virdon (PIT) | Jim Landis (CWS) |
| Outfield | Roberto Clemente (PIT) | Al Kaline (DET) |
| Outfield | Willie Mays (SF) | Mickey Mantle (NYY) |

### Other awards

* Sport Magazine's World Series Most Valuable Player Award: Ralph Terry (NYY)
* Babe Ruth Award (BBWAA World Series MVP): Ralph Terry (NYY)
The Sporting News Awards :
| Award | National League | American League |
| Player of the Year | Don Drysdale (LAD) Maury Wills (LAD) | — |
| Pitcher of the Year | Don Drysdale (LAD) | Dick Donovan (CLE) |
| Fireman of the Year (Relief pitcher) | Roy Face (PIT) | Dick Radatz (BOS) |
| Rookie of the Year | Ken Hubbs (CHC) | Tom Tresh (NYY) |
| Manager of the Year | — | Bill Rigney (LAA) |
| Executive of the Year | — | Fred Haney (LAA) |

### Monthly awards
#### Player of the Month

| Month | National League |
| May | Bob Purkey (CIN) |
| June | Sandy Koufax (LAD) |
| July | Frank Howard (LAD) |
| August | Jack Sanford (SF) |

### Baseball Hall of Fame

* Bob Feller
* Jackie Robinson
* Edd Roush
* Bill McKechnie (manager)

## Home field attendance

| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 102 | 14.6% | 2,755,184 | 52.7% | 33,195 |
| San Francisco Giants | 103 | 21.2% | 1,592,594 | 14.5% | 19,422 |
| New York Yankees | 96 | −11.9% | 1,493,574 | −14.5% | 18,670 |
| Minnesota Twins | 91 | 30.0% | 1,433,116 | 14.0% | 17,477 |
| Detroit Tigers | 85 | −15.8% | 1,207,881 | −24.5% | 14,730 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 86 | 22.9% | 1,144,063 | 89.6% | 14,124 |
| Chicago White Sox | 85 | −1.2% | 1,131,562 | −1.3% | 13,970 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 93 | 24.0% | 1,090,648 | −9.0% | 13,465 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 98 | 5.4% | 982,095 | −12.1% | 12,125 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 84 | 5.0% | 953,895 | 11.5% | 11,776 |
| Houston Colt .45s | 64 | | 924,456 | | 11,274 |
| New York Mets | 40 | | 922,530 | | 11,532 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 77 | −18.9% | 790,254 | −16.9% | 9,637 |
| Milwaukee Braves | 86 | 3.6% | 766,921 | −30.4% | 9,468 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 81 | 72.3% | 762,034 | 29.1% | 9,525 |
| Boston Red Sox | 76 | 0.0% | 733,080 | −13.8% | 9,279 |
| Washington Senators | 60 | −1.6% | 729,775 | 22.2% | 9,122 |
| Cleveland Indians | 80 | 2.6% | 716,076 | −1.3% | 8,840 |
| Kansas City Athletics | 72 | 18.0% | 635,675 | −7.0% | 7,848 |
| Chicago Cubs | 59 | −7.8% | 609,802 | −9.4% | 7,528 |

## Television coverage

CBS and NBC continued to air weekend Game of the Week broadcasts. CBS dropped its Sunday broadcasts once the NFL season started in mid-September, dropping the option clause for affiliates to carry baseball or football in place since 1957.
The All-Star Game, the National League tie-breaker series, and the World Series aired on NBC.

## Retired numbers

* Robin Roberts had his No. 36 retired by the Philadelphia Phillies on March 21. This was the first number retired by the team.