1959 San Francisco Giants season
| 1959 San Francisco Giants | |
|---|---|
| Willie McCovey's Rookie Year | |
| Major League affiliations | |
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| Location | |
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| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Horace Stoneham |
| Manager(s) | Bill Rigney |
| Local television | KTVU(Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons) |
| Local radio |
KSFO (Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 1959 San Francisco Giants season involved the 83–71 team's third-place finish in the National League standings, four games behind the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the team's second and final season at Seals Stadium before moving their games to Candlestick Park the following season.
Offseason
- October 8, 1958: Marv Grissom and Ernie Broglio were traded by the Giants to the St. Louis Cardinals for Hobie Landrith, Billy Muffett and Benny Valenzuela.[1]
- December 3, 1958: Rubén Gómez and Valmy Thomas were traded by the Giants to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jack Sanford.[2]
- December 5, 1958: Joey Amalfitano was released by the Giants.[3]
- March 25, 1959: Ray Jablonski and Bill White were traded by the Giants to the St. Louis Cardinals for Sam Jones and Don Choate.[4]
Regular season
In his major league debut on July 30, Willie McCovey went four-for-four against future Hall-of-Famer Robin Roberts en route to a .354 batting average. McCovey went on to win National League Rookie of the Year honors while playing in just 52 games.
Season standings
| National League | W | L | GB | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 88 | 68 | -- | .564 |
| Milwaukee Braves | 86 | 70 | 2 | .551 |
| San Francisco Giants | 83 | 71 | 4 | .539 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 78 | 76 | 9 | .506 |
| Chicago Cubs | 74 | 80 | 13 | .481 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 74 | 80 | 13 | .481 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 71 | 83 | 16 | .461 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 64 | 90 | 23 | .416 |
Opening Day starters
- Johnny Antonelli
- Jackie Brandt
- Orlando Cepeda
- Jim Davenport
- Willie Kirkland
- Willie Mays
- Andre Rodgers
- Bob Schmidt
- Daryl Spencer[5]
Notable transactions
- July 26, 1959: Billy Muffett and cash were traded by the Giants to the Boston Red Sox for Bud Byerly.[6]
- August 25, 1959: Hank Sauer was released by the Giants.[7]
Roster
| 1959 San Francisco Giants | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters
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Manager
Coaches | ||||||
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
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 | Landrith, HobieHobie Landrith | 109 | 283 | 71 | .251 | 3 | 29 |
Other batters
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodes, DustyDusty Rhodes | 54 | 48 | 9 | .188 | 0 | 7 |
| Pagán, JoséJosé Pagán | 31 | 46 | 8 | .174 | 0 | 1 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonelli, JohnnyJohnny Antonelli | 40 | 282 | 19 | 10 | 3.10 | 165 |
| Jones, SamSam Jones | 50 | 270.2 | 21 | 15 | 2.83 | 209 |
| Sanford, JackJack Sanford | 36 | 222.1 | 15 | 12 | 3.16 | 132 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byerly, BudBud Byerly | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.38 | 4 |
| Muffett, BillyBilly Muffett | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 3 |
| Barclay, CurtCurt Barclay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54.00 | 0 |
Awards and honors
- Willie McCovey – National League Rookie of the Year
All-Star Game (first game) All-Star Game (second game)
Farm system
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Phoenix Giants | Pacific Coast League | Red Davis |
| AA | Corpus Christi Giants | Texas League | Ray Murray |
| A | Springfield Giants | Eastern League | Andy Gilbert |
| B | Eugene Emeralds | Northwest League | Roy Partee |
| C | Fresno Giants | California League | Mike McCormick |
| C | St. Cloud Rox | Northern League | Richie Klaus |
| D | Michigan City White Caps | Midwest League | Buddy Kerr |
| D | Hastings Giants | Nebraska State League | Leo Schrall |
| D | Artesia Giants | Sophomore League | Jodie Phipps |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Springfield[8]
Notes
- ↑ Hobie Landrith page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Rubén Gómez page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Joey Amalfitano page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Ray Jablonski page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1959&t=SFN
- ↑ Billy Muffett page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Hank Sauer page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
References
- 1959 San Francisco Giants team page at Baseball Reference
- 1959 San Francisco Giants team page at Baseball Almanac
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