Thursday 10/5/1956: Cy Young Award winners announced The 1956 AL Cy Young Award winner is from Chicago (A) this year. Ewell Blackwell put together impressive numbers on the mound this season. Opposing players hit .217 against Ewell this season. While posting an ERA of 3.25 he went 23-9 in 39 starts, fanning 263 and walking 105 hitters. Ewell has pitched 3 shutouts and 16 complete games. He's 4th in the AL in ERA and 2nd in wins! Blackwell wins the award for the 4th time in his 11-year career. All the hard work finally paid off for Cincinnati's Frank Smith as well. The right-hander was named the Cy Young Award winner in the NL today. This season Smith compiled an ERA of 2.65, going 24-9 in 41 starts. He fanned 225 while giving up 268 hits in 313 innings. He has 6 complete games and 2 shutouts. He's 1st in the NL in ERA and 1st in wins! |
Thursday 10/5/1956: Sievers (BAL) and Snider (BRO) win Most Valuable Player Award The Most Valuable Player Award in the AL was handed to Baltimore's third baseman Roy Sievers! Sievers has walked 89 times this year and posts a .428 OBP. While batting .332, 172 for 518, he has driven in 125 runs. He's 2nd in the AL in batting, 1st in homeruns and 2nd in RBI! The 1956 NL Most Valuable Player Award winner has been announced as well. It's Brooklyn's centerfielder Duke Snider who really had a great offensive year. He has hit 49 longballs while batting .322 this season. His 187 hits and 102 walks add up to a .423 on-base percentage. He's 10th in the NL in batting, 2nd in homeruns and 2nd in RBI! Snider wins the award for the 4th time in his 9-year career. |
Thursday 10/5/1956: Drysdale (BOS) and Boyer (NYN) win Rookie Of The Year Award The AL Rookie Of The Year Award winner was announced today, with Boston's pitcher Don Drysdale earning the trophy for putting up the best numbers among rookies in his league. Don has a record of 22-16 this season, with an ERA of 2.91. In 358.1 Innings he was able to strike out 213 batters. Don has pitched 3 shutouts and 33 complete games. He's 2nd in the AL in ERA and 3rd in wins! Ken Boyer was named the NL Rookie Of The Year Award winner today. New York (N)'s third baseman put up pretty good numbers for a rookie this year. This 25 year old kid will probably have a long and successful career! Boyer has walked 40 times this year and posts a .364 OBP. While batting .319, 184 for 576, he has driven in 99 runs. |
Sunday 10/1/1956: Cincinnati's Smith named Pitcher of the Month Jim Bunning couldn't have pitched much better than he did in September, and the AL thought so as well, naming the right-hander Pitcher of the Month. His ERA of just 2.27 helped him to a 4-1 record in September. He worked 43.2 innings, striking out 26 hitters while walking 9. Jim pitched a shutout as well. His ERA of 4.07 helped him to a 21-10 record this year. He struck out 133 and walked 93 in 281 innings. Jim has pitched 2 shutouts and 19 complete games. He's 4th in the AL in wins! Frank Smith couldn't have pitched much better than he did in September, and the NL thought so as well, naming the right-hander Pitcher of the Month. His record of 3-1 in 4 was among the leagues best this month. In 32.1 innings of work he allowed just 25 hits while striking out 23, compiling an ERA of just 1.67. Frank also fired a shutout. Frank has a record of 24-9 this season, with an ERA of 2.65. In 313 Innings he was able to strike out 225 batters. Frank has pitched 2 shutouts and 6 complete games. He's 1st in the NL in ERA and 1st in wins! |
Sunday 10/1/1956: Nieman (CHA) and Hodges (BRO) win monthly award The Batter of the Month award in the AL goes to Chicago (A)'s Bob Nieman this time, as the rightfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. He hit .408 with 19 RBI and slugged .803 in 76 at bats. He has hit 25 taters while batting .333 this season. His 125 hits and 48 walks add up to a .404 on-base percentage. He's 9th in the AL in RBIs and 8th in homeruns! The NL's best player of the month was Brooklyn's Gil Hodges, who wins the award for the 4th time in his career. Hodges helped his team with an average of .381 and 28 RBI in 84 at bats. While compiling an on base percentage of .400, Gil hit .304 and slugged .555. He has collected 130 runs batted in this year. He's 4th in the NL in RBIs and 6th in homeruns! |
Monday 9/25/1956: Player of the Week honors go to Friend and Hatton Baltimore's pitcher Bob Friend had some reason to celebrate, as the league named him the AL Player of the Week. Bob went 2-0 with an ERA of 2.00, while fanning 8 in 18 innings of work. He was able to complete both starts of the week. Grady Hatton from St. Louis (N) wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. He hit .520 with 11 RBI and slugged .840 in 25 at bats. He has hit 18 taters while batting .283 this season. His 151 hits and 69 walks add up to a .364 on-base percentage. |
Wednesday 9/20/1956: Hank Thompson out for 9-10 weeks DETROIT - Detroit's players were scared when they had to watch Hank Thompson suffer a serious injury when he dove for a ball in the game against Boston. He collapsed in pain and was helped off the field. Thompson will probaby miss 9-10 weeks. Detroit wasted no time and rushed him to an hospital. Team officials were informed later that Thompson had suffered a Torn Rib Cage Muscle. Thompson has walked 91 times this year and posts a .401 OBP. While batting .295, 147 for 499, he has driven in 88 runs. |
Monday 9/18/1956: Nieman (CHA) and Ashburn (PHI) win P.O.W. award The AL's best player of the week was Chicago (A)'s Bob Nieman, who wins the award for the 4th time in his career. Nieman helped his team with an average of .409 and 8 RBI in 22 at bats. Richie Ashburn from Philadelphia (N) wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Richie was on fire, hitting .500 with 3 HR and 9 RBI. |
Monday 9/11/1956: Ennis and Simmons win Player of the Week award The AL Player of the Week award goes to Del Ennis, Boston's starting leftfielder. He hit .556 with 8 RBI and slugged 1.278 in 18 at bats. His season features a batting average of .280 (147 hits in 525 AB), 22 doubles, 2 triples and 27 bombs. Ennis collected 89 RBI and 77 runs as well. He's 5th in the AL in RBIs and 5th in homeruns! The NL's best player of the week was Philadelphia (N)'s Curt Simmons, who wins the award for the 3rd time in his career. Curt went 2-0 with an ERA of 0.00, while fanning 10 in 17.1 innings of work. He hurled a shutout as well. This season Simmons compiled an ERA of 3.13, going 22-11 in 39 starts. He fanned 169 while giving up 279 hits in 311 innings. Curt has pitched 5 shutouts and 14 complete games. He's 2nd in the NL in ERA and 3rd in wins! |
Monday 9/4/1956: Brooklyn's Snider wins Player of the Week award The AL Player of the Week award goes to Jim Bunning, one of New York (A)'s best starting pitchers. Jim went 2-0 with an ERA of 1.59, while fanning 5 in 17 innings of work. He hurled a shutout as well. It's the 15th time that the NL Player of the Week award goes to Brooklyn's centerfielder Duke Snider. Duke went 12 for 24 (.500), while hitting 6 HR and collecting 12 RBI. Duke has gone 166 for 512 (.324) this season, hitting 44 longballs and driving in 125 runs. He has scored 120 runs on his own. He's 2nd in the NL in RBIs and 1st in homeruns! |
Sunday 9/3/1956: Larry Doby blisters three bombs NEW YORK (A) - Larry Doby powered New York (A) to a 12-0 win over Baltimore. He did it in style by homering three times. His 1st blast, a solo homerun off Howie Pollet in the 2nd inning, landed an estimated 413 feet from home plate. His 2nd shot, off Howie Pollet in the 4th inning, was a solo homerun and cleared the fence in center field. Number 3 in the 7th inning, a shot estimated at 375 feet, cleared the wall in right field. Overall he finished with 4 hits in 5 AB, stroking a double, scoring three times with 5 RBI. On 8/13/1956, Bill Wilson was the last player to hit 3 dingers in a single game. |
Sunday 9/3/1956: Ruben Gomez quiets Detroit bats with shutout WASHINGTON - Detroit's hitters looked uncomfortable, and Washington's Ruben Gomez didn't help them. The right-hander fired his 1st shutout of the season, a 1-hitter. Gomez (6-3) fanned 1 and walked 3, throwing 99 pitches. 'I had my stuff going. Everything I tried worked. What a day!' Jim Delsing provided Washington with the offense Gomez needed as he finished 3 for 4. The final score of the game was 2-0. |
Saturday 9/2/1956: Bill Virdon (BAL) will miss 9 weeks BALTIMORE - Baltimore's players were scared when they had to watch Bill Virdon suffer a serious injury when he dove for a ball in the game against New York (A). He collapsed in pain and was helped off the field. Virdon will probaby miss 9 weeks. Baltimore wasted no time and rushed him to an hospital. Team officials were informed later that Virdon had suffered a Dislocated Shoulder. Bill is hitting .280 this year, with 131 hits in 468 at bats. He has driven in 79 runs, slugging .447. |
Saturday 9/2/1956: Mel Parnell shuts out Chicago (A) on 2 hits BOSTON - Chicago (A)'s hitters were dominated by Boston's Mel Parnell. He gave up just 2 hits in recording his 2nd shutout of the season. Parnell (10-22) fanned 2 and walked 1, throwing 101 pitches. 'Hey, that's my job! Everytime I take the mound I give the best I can. And my best stuff was too much for them today.' Boston's centerfielder Roberto Clemente stroked 3 hits in 4 AB, hitting a double, and driving in 2 runs. That was enough to support the brilliant performance of Parnell. Boston improved its record to 57-78, scoring 8 runs on 12 hits. |
Friday 9/1/1956: Pitcher of the Month award winners announced Chicago (A)'s Lew Burdette had a terrific August, and it earned him the AL Pitcher of the month award. He went 6-0 in August and finished the month with an ERA of 1.86. He struck out 13 in 53.1 innings. Lew also fired a shutout. In 27 starts this year Lew struck out 56 batters in 230 innings of work. His ERA is 3.01, his record 16-6. Lew has pitched one shutout and 16 complete games. He's 2nd in the AL in ERA and 7th in wins! Frank Smith couldn't have pitched much better than he did in August, and the NL thought so as well, naming the right-hander Pitcher of the Month. His ERA of just 1.23 helped him to a 6-0 record in August. He worked 65.2 innings, striking out 53 hitters while walking 16. Opposing players hit .236 against Frank this season. While posting an ERA of 2.76 he went 21-8 in 37 starts, fanning 202 and walking 84 hitters. He has 5 complete games and one shutout. He's 1st in the NL in ERA and 3rd in wins! |
Friday 9/1/1956: Brooklyn's Snider named Batter of the Month The AL's best player of the month was New York (A)'s Mickey Mantle, who wins the award for the 5th time in his career. Mickey was on fire, hitting .337 with 7 homeruns and 26 RBI. His season numbers are: .296 AVG, 128 hits, 15 doubles, 4 triples and 27 taters, along with 90 RBI and 109 runs scored. He's 4th in the AL in RBIs and 3rd in homeruns! It's the 9th time that the NL Batter of the Month award goes to Brooklyn's centerfielder Duke Snider. He had an on base percentage of .374 and hit .324, while driving in 30 runs. This year Snider drove in 120 and scored 116 runs while batting .320 with 42 bombs. He's 2nd in the NL in RBIs and 2nd in homeruns! |
Monday 8/28/1956: Mantle and Minner win Player of the Week award The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to New York (A)'s Mickey Mantle this time, as the centerfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. He hit .478 with 6 RBI and slugged .826 in 23 at bats. Paul Minner of Cincinnati wins his 2nd Player of the Week award for dominating NL's hitters the entire week. Minner was overpowering all week long, going 2-0 with an ERA of 0.50. Along the way he struck out 8 in 18 innings. He hurled a shutout as well. In 32 starts this year Paul struck out 102 batters in 260.1 innings of work. His ERA is 4.46, his record 16-11. He has 21 complete games and one shutout. He's 10th in the NL in ERA and 6th in wins! |
Monday 8/21/1956: Player of the Week honors go to Mantle and Bilko Mickey Mantle from New York (A) wins his 10th Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. He had an on base percentage of .593 and hit .450, while driving in 9 runs. His season features a batting average of .287 (116 hits in 404 AB), 13 doubles, 4 triples and 25 longballs. Mantle collected 84 RBI and 104 runs as well. He's 4th in the AL in RBIs and 3rd in homeruns! The NL's best player of the week was St. Louis (N)'s Steve Bilko, who wins the award for the 2nd time in his career. Steve was on fire, hitting .391 with 5 HR and 7 RBI. |
Friday 8/18/1956: Ron Necciai blanks New York (N) with a 2-hitter CHICAGO (N) - Ron Necciai had an unexpectedly great performance against New York (N) on Friday, pitching a 2-hitter for his 1st shutout of the season. Monte Irvin spoiled the bid for a no-hitter when he doubled with one out in the 5th inning. Necciai (11-16) fanned 6 and walked 1, throwing 105 pitches. 'Pitching a great game is always a good thing. And it doesn't get much better than today.' Rube Walker provided Chicago (N) with the offense Necciai needed as he went 1 for 4, with 2 RBI. The final score of the game was 4-0. |
Tuesday 8/15/1956: Cleveland has no chance in a 1-hitter by Dick Weik WASHINGTON - With his best stuff going, Washington's Dick Weik overmatched the opposing hitters all day long. Cleveland had no chance, collecting just one hit against the right-hander. Tom Umphlett spoiled the bid for a no-hitter when he singled with no outs in the 8th inning. 'I felt early that I was on top of my game. Fortunately I was able to keep that feeling the entire game.' Weik (5-9) fanned 9 and walked none, throwing 98 pitches. Sam Mele provided Washington with the offense Weik needed as he got 3 hits in 4 AB, blasting a homerun, and collecting 3 RBI. Washington improved its record to 59-61, scoring 8 runs on 12 hits. |
Monday 8/14/1956: Chicago (N)'s Borkowski wins Player of the Week award Hank Thompson wins his 6th Player of the Week award. AL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. Hank was on fire, hitting .600 with 1 HR and 8 RBI. Hank is hitting .301 this year, with 119 hits in 396 at bats. He has driven in 69 runs, slugging .449. Bob Borkowski from Chicago (N) wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Borkowski helped his team with an average of .517 and 7 RBI in 29 at bats. This year Borkowski drove in 68 and scored 65 runs while batting .354 with 16 longballs. He's 3rd in the NL in batting! |
Sunday 8/13/1956: Bill Wilson knocks lights out with three homeruns NEW YORK (N) - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. Chicago (N)'s leftfielder Bill Wilson accomplished that feat in a 11-5 win over New York (N). A 351 foot drive to right field marked his 1st bomb, a two-run homerun off Pedro Ramos in the 2nd inning. His 2nd shot, a solo homerun off Pedro Ramos in the 4th inning, cleared the fence in left-center. In the 5th inning he unloaded a three-run homerun off Pedro Ramos. Overall he went 3 for 3, scoring three runs and driving in 6 runs. On 7/15/1956, Randy Jackson was the last player to hit 3 dingers in a single game. |
Saturday 8/12/1956: Jim Bunning blanks Washington with a 2-hitter WASHINGTON - It was a great day for New York (A)'s right-hander Jim Bunning. The 24-year old recorded his first career shutout, a 2-hitter, against Washington on Saturday. 'Things like that happen. You take the mound and everything works. My velocity was pretty good today and I guess it showed.' Bunning (14-8) fanned 4 and walked 2, throwing 110 pitches. The hitting star for New York (A) was leftfielder Larry Doby, he finished with 1 hit in 3 AB, hitting a homerun, scoring two runs and collecting 3 RBI. New York (A) scored 9 runs on 8 hits. |
Monday 8/7/1956: Milwaukee's Zauchin wins Player of the Week award The AL Player of the Week award goes to Bill Virdon, Baltimore's starting centerfielder. He hit .500 with 13 RBI and slugged 1.115 in 26 at bats. Virdon has hit for a .288 average this season. He has 34 extra base hits along with 181 total bases, resulting in a .469 slugging percentage. It's the 3rd time that the NL Player of the Week award goes to Milwaukee's first baseman Norm Zauchin. He hit .565 with 9 RBI and slugged .957 in 23 at bats. |
Sunday 8/6/1956: Ewell Blackwell blanks Detroit with a 2-hitter CHICAGO (A) - Ewell Blackwell had some fun again. Detroit hitters did not. Chicago (A)'s right-hander gave up just 2 hits in his 2nd shutout of the season. He now has 26 career shutouts in 433 games started. 'I felt early that I was on top of my game. Fortunately I was able to keep that feeling the entire game.' Blackwell (16-8) struck out 8 and issued 5 BB, throwing 80 of 130 pitches for strikes. Gene Freese helped Blackwell at the plate, he collected 2 hits in 3 trips to the plate. The final score of the game was 1-0. |
Friday 8/4/1956: New York (A)'s Rosen out for 8 weeks NEW YORK (A) - New York (A)'s third baseman Al Rosen hurt himself in the 4th inning while making a routine throw to first base. He experienced serious pain and had to leave the game. Al Rosen will miss at least 8 weeks. After x-rays were taken the diagnosis did not surprise many: Ruptured Bicep Tendon. Surgery will be performed next week. Al has gone 90 for 349 (.258) this season, hitting 21 taters and driving in 60 runs. He has scored 64 runs on his own. |
Tuesday 8/1/1956: Haddix and Poholsky receive Pitcher of the Month award Baltimore's Harvey Haddix had a terrific July, and it earned him the AL Pitcher of the month award. His record of 6-0 in 6 was among the leagues best this month. In 51.1 innings of work he allowed just 30 hits while striking out 23, compiling an ERA of just 1.75. Harvey pitched a shutout as well. In 26 starts this year Harvey struck out 115 batters in 220.1 innings of work. His ERA is 3.06, his record 16-7. He has 14 complete games and 3 shutouts. He's 2nd in the AL in ERA and 2nd in wins! It's the 1st time that the NL Pitcher of the Month award goes to St. Louis (N)'s pitcher Tom Poholsky. He went 4-2 in July and finished the month with an ERA of 2.18. He struck out 36 in 62 innings. Tom also fired a shutout. Tom has a record of 14-11 this season, with an ERA of 3.53. In 242 Innings he was able to strike out 159 batters. He has 19 complete games and 4 shutouts. He's 5th in the NL in ERA and 6th in wins! |
Tuesday 8/1/1956: Red hot Mcdougald and Jackson win Batter of the Month award It's the 1st time that the AL Batter of the Month award goes to New York (A)'s shortstop Gil Mcdougald. Mcdougald helped his team with an average of .467 and 24 RBI in 90 at bats. Gil is hitting .343 this year, with 129 hits in 376 at bats. He has driven in 64 runs, slugging .540. He's 3rd in the AL in batting! Chicago (N)'s third baseman Randy Jackson had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the NL Batter of the Month. Randy was on fire, hitting .453 with 11 homeruns and 24 RBI. He has hit 29 taters while batting .340 this season. His 128 hits and 38 walks add up to a .398 on-base percentage. He's 8th in the NL in batting, 4th in homeruns and 8th in RBI! |
Monday 7/31/1956: New York (N)'s Thomas wins Player of the Week award The AL's best player of the week was Washington's Eddie Yost, who wins the award for the 2nd time in his career. In 23 at bats he hit .478 with 3 HR and 10 RBI. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 7 game hitting streak right now. His season features a batting average of .279 (94 hits in 337 AB), 14 doubles, 2 triples and 13 homeruns. Yost collected 49 RBI and 66 runs as well. Frank Thomas from New York (N) wins his 3rd Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Frank was on fire, hitting .407 with 4 HR and 13 RBI. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 10 game hitting streak right now. Thomas has hit 27 taters this year while batting .288. He adds 22 doubles, along with 63 runs scored. He's 2nd in the NL in RBIs and 6th in homeruns! |
Monday 7/24/1956: Mitchell and Boyer win Player of the Week award The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to Chicago (A)'s Dale Mitchell this time, as the centerfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. Mitchell helped his team with an average of .524 and 5 RBI in 21 at bats. His season numbers are: .356 AVG, 93 hits, 14 doubles, 3 triples and 5 longballs, along with 31 RBI and 54 runs scored. Ken Boyer from New York (N) wins his 3rd Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Ken went 16 for 25 (.640), while hitting 2 HR and collecting 9 RBI. Boyer has hit for a .332 average this season. He has 40 extra base hits along with 206 total bases, resulting in a .561 slugging percentage. He's 10th in the NL in batting, 10th in homeruns and 8th in RBI! |
Friday 7/21/1956: Cincinnati's Fox severely injured CINCINNATI - Cincinnati's second baseman Nellie Fox hurt himself in the 6th inning while making a routine throw to first base. He experienced serious pain and had to leave the game. Nellie Fox will miss at least 6 weeks. Ruptured Elbow Ligament was the diagnosis after x-rays were taken in a nearby hospital. The message shocked teammates and team officials. Nellie has gone 99 for 266 (.372) this season, hitting no taters and driving in 37 runs. He has scored 52 runs on his own. He's 1st in the NL in batting! |
Wednesday 7/19/1956: Ken Boyer punishes Brooklyn with five hits BROOKLYN - Ken Boyer led New York (N) to a 13-2 win over Brooklyn by squeezing five hits out of his bat. His 2nd hit, a two-run homerun off Bill Henry in the 4th inning, cleared the fence in right-center. Number 5 in the 9th inning, a shot estimated at 372 feet, cleared the wall in left field. He collected singles in the 1st (one RBI) , in the 6th and in the 7th . Ken did drive in 5 while scoring 2 runs on his own. He's having a very good season so far, batting .325. |
Monday 7/17/1956: Chicago (N)'s Jackson wins Player of the Week award The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to Chicago (A)'s Billy Martin this time, as the shortstop displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. Billy went 9 for 18 (.500), while hitting 1 HR and collecting 3 RBI. While compiling an on base percentage of .424, Billy hit .366 and slugged .499. He has collected 44 runs batted in this year. He's 1st in the AL in batting! Randy Jackson wins his 3rd Player of the Week award. NL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. He hit .529 with 5 RBI and slugged 1.471 in 17 at bats. He now has homered in 3 consecutive games as well! |
Saturday 7/15/1956: Randy Jackson parks three against Brooklyn CHICAGO (N) - Hitting homeruns is one of the most difficult things in sports. To hit three of them in one game is almost sensational. Chicago (N)'s third baseman Randy Jackson accomplished that feat in a 7-6 win over Brooklyn. A pitch from Chris Van cuyk in the 3rd inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 395 feet from home plate in right field. In the 7th inning he unloaded a solo homerun off Chris Van cuyk. Number 3 in the 9th inning, a shot estimated at 379 feet, cleared the wall in right field. That one tied it at 6 runs apiece. Randy collected 5 hits in 5 trips to the plate, hitting a double, scoring three times and driving in 3 runs. So far this season he is batting .320 with 23 homers and 66 RBI. Chicago (N) improved its record to 38-54, scoring 7 runs on 15 hits. |
Monday 7/10/1956: Kansas City's Daley wins Player of the Week award The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to Kansas City's Bud Daley this time, as the pitcher displayed the best pitching perfomance in his league. He was in a zone all week, compiling an ERA of 1.00 while going 2-0. He hurled a shutout as well. Harry Simpson wins his 2nd Player of the Week award. NL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. Simpson helped his team with an average of .500 and 7 RBI in 20 at bats. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 14 game hitting streak right now. Simpson has walked 21 times this year and posts a .387 OBP. While batting .343, 93 for 271, he has driven in 61 runs. He's 7th in the NL in batting! |
Monday 7/3/1956: Cincinnati's Simpson wins Player of the Week award The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to New York (A)'s Sandy Koufax this time, as the pitcher displayed the best pitching perfomance in his league. Koufax was overpowering all week long, going 2-0 with an ERA of 1.00. Along the way he struck out 16 in 18 innings. He was able to complete both starts of the week. This season Koufax compiled an ERA of 4.71, going 9-8 in 20 starts. He fanned 130 while giving up 138 hits in 154.2 innings. The NL's best player of the week was Cincinnati's Harry Simpson, who wins the award for the 1st time in his career. He hit .548 with 13 RBI and slugged .903 in 31 at bats. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 8 games. |
Sunday 7/2/1956: Detroit's Banta out for 5 weeks DETROIT - Detroit's ace Jack Banta suffered a severe injury on Sunday and will be out for at least 5 weeks. In the 4th of the game against New York (A) he experienced pain in his throwing arm and had to leave the game. After being examined by several specialists the diagnosis is clear: Bone Chips Elbow. In 17 starts this year Jack struck out 80 batters in 105 innings of work. His ERA is 4.20, his record 5-6. Jack has pitched one shutout and 2 complete games. |
Saturday 7/1/1956: Ford and Garcia receive Pitcher of the Month award It's the 3rd time that the AL Pitcher of the Month award goes to New York (A)'s pitcher Whitey Ford. He went 5-1 in June and finished the month with an ERA of 1.71. He struck out 38 in 52.2 innings. Whitey pitched a shutout as well. In 20 starts this year Whitey struck out 95 batters in 141 innings of work. His ERA is 3.32, his record 10-7. He has 2 complete games and one shutout. He's 3rd in the AL in ERA and 3rd in wins! The best month of June in the NL certainly had St. Louis (N)'s right-hander Mike Garcia, earning him the Pitcher of the Month award. He had an ERA of just 3.14 in 63 innings of work in which he struck out 28 hitters. His record in June is 6-1. His ERA of 4.12 helped him to a 11-8 record this year. He struck out 87 and walked 42 in 179 innings. He has 15 complete games and one shutout. He's 4th in the NL in wins! |
Saturday 7/1/1956: Brooklyn's Aaron named Batter of the Month The Batter of the Month award in the AL goes to Chicago (A)'s Ted Kluszewski this time, as the first baseman displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. He hit .357 with 21 RBI and slugged .755 in 98 at bats. He has hit 21 bombs while batting .338 this season. His 88 hits and 18 walks add up to a .384 on-base percentage. He's 4th in the AL in batting, 2nd in homeruns and 3rd in RBI! Hank Aaron of Brooklyn wins his 2nd Batter of the Month award for putting up the best numbers in the NL. Hank pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .396 with 10 and 31 RBI while slugging .745. Aaron has hit 23 bombs this year while batting .293. He adds 13 doubles, along with 68 runs scored. He's 1st in the NL in RBIs and 4th in homeruns! |
Friday 6/30/1956: Eddie Mathews uncorks cycle hits against Pittsburgh PITTSBURGH - Philadelphia (N)'s third baseman Eddie Mathews once again displayed his tremendous ability to make contact with that little white ball. He tore up Pittsburgh's pitching staff with a 4 hit performance on Friday. His 1st hit was a RBI triple off Ike Delock in the 5th inning. His 2nd hit, a solo homerun off Roger Craig in the 6th inning, cleared the fence in center field. A single in the 7th off Roger Craig accounted for his 3rd hit. His 4th hit was a double off Bob Hooper in the 9th inning. That drive completed the cycle, causing a smile on his face! Eddie did drive in 2 while scoring 2 runs on his own. He is hitting .294 this season, with 32 HR and 61 RBI. 12 players in league history have so far hit for the cycle, including Eddie. Del Ennis was the last player to hit for the cycle, doing it 7/8/1955. |
Monday 6/26/1956: St. Louis (N)'s Dick Wakefield laces 2000th career hit MILWAUKEE - St. Louis (N)'s rightfielder Dick Wakefield joined some elite company today, collecting his 2000th career hit! With one out in the 2nd inning, Dick drilled a single, causing a standing ovation from the crowd. Along with his 2000 hits, Dick collected 188 homeruns and 1057 RBI in 13 seasons. 'I'm out of words. I'll probably realize it tomorrow, but for now I'm done.' |
Monday 6/26/1956: Player of the Week honors go to King and Garagiola It's the 1st time that the AL Player of the Week award goes to Detroit's pitcher Nellie King. He was in a zone all week, compiling an ERA of 1.59 while going 2-0. He hurled a shutout as well. St. Louis (N)'s catcher Joe Garagiola had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the NL Player of the Week. In 22 at bats he hit .409 with 4 HR and 12 RBI. This year Garagiola drove in 47 and scored 35 runs while batting .329 with 10 longballs. |
Sunday 6/25/1956: New York (N)'s Pascual out for the season NEW YORK (N) - New York (N)'s ace Camilo Pascual will not pitch again this year, suffering a serious injury in the game against Milwaukee on Sunday. After being examined by several specialists the diagnosis is clear: Bone Chips Shoulder. Opposing players hit .288 against Camilo this season. While posting an ERA of 6.22 he went 9-7 in 21 starts, fanning 76 and walking 96 hitters. He's 6th in the NL in wins! |
Monday 6/19/1956: Player of the Week honors go to Kluszewski and Hodges Ted Kluszewski wins his 4th Player of the Week award. AL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. He hit .520 with 6 RBI and slugged .960 in 25 at bats. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 18 games. Gil Hodges wins his 8th Player of the Week award. NL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. Gil pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .444 with 4 HR and 12 RBI while slugging .963. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 7 game hitting streak right now. |
Sunday 6/18/1956: Pittsburgh has no chance in a 2-hitter by Pedro Ramos PITTSBURGH - New York (N)'s right-hander Pedro Ramos didn't look unexperienced at all. The 21 year old pitched a 2-hit shutout against Pittsburgh, recording his 1st shutout of the season. Ramos (2-0) struck out 4 and issued 3 BB, throwing 68 of 106 pitches for strikes. 'I really like to play baseball, and I love the way I was able to play it today.' Monte Irvin helped Ramos at the plate, he went 3 for 4, blasting a homerun, stroking a double, scoring twice and collecting 2 RBI. The final score of the game was 8-0. |
Monday 6/12/1956: Boston's Drysdale wins Player of the Week award Boston's pitcher Don Drysdale had some reason to celebrate, as the league named him the AL Player of the Week. Don went 2-0 with an ERA of 0.53, while fanning 10 in 17 innings of work. He hurled a shutout as well. Pittsburgh's leftfielder Charlie Maxwell had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the NL Player of the Week. He had an on base percentage of .515 and hit .448, while driving in 12 runs. |
Monday 6/5/1956: Don Drysdale blanks New York (A) with a 2-hitter BOSTON - Great days are rare. But not for Boston's right-hander Don Drysdale. New York (A) found out the hard way that he is among the leagues top pitchers, getting just 2 hits. It's his 2nd shutout this season, and the 2nd time he has done it in his career. Drysdale (6-8) struck out 8 and issued 4 BB, throwing 72 of 120 pitches for strikes. 'Hey, that's my job! Everytime I take the mound I give the best I can. And my best stuff was too much for them today.' Boston's centerfielder Bob Speake went 2 for 4, stroking two 2B's, with 3 RBI. That was enough to support the brilliant performance of Drysdale. The final score of the game was 4-0. |
Monday 6/5/1956: Kell (DET) and Power (PIT) win P.O.W. award George Kell wins his 2nd Player of the Week award. AL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. George pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .458 with 1 HR and 3 RBI while slugging .625. Vic Power wins his 1st Player of the Week award. NL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. Vic was on fire, hitting .548 with 3 HR and 7 RBI. He now has homered in 3 consecutive games as well! |
Friday 6/2/1956: Ned Garver out for 8-9 weeks MILWAUKEE - When it rains, it pours. Milwaukee's right-hander Ned Garver will not pitch for at least 8-9 weeks, handing the team a huge setback. He suffered a serious injury in a game against Brooklyn where he left the field in the 2nd inning. After x-rays were taken the diagnosis did not surprise many: Fractured Elbow. Surgery will be performed next week. In 14 starts this year Ned struck out 58 batters in 107.2 innings of work. His ERA is 3.93, his record 6-7. Ned has pitched one shutout and 10 complete games. |
Thursday 6/1/1956: Newhouser (DET) and Simmons (PHI) win monthly pitcher award Hal Newhouser pitched like a legend in May, and the AL named him Pitcher of the Month for his extraordinary performance. He struck out 28 hitters in his 6 starts, putting together a record of 4-1 while pitching 28 innings. His ERA in May was 1.90. Hal pitched a shutout as well. This season Newhouser compiled an ERA of 4.39, going 6-4 in 11 starts. He fanned 49 while giving up 77 hits in 80 innings. He has 5 complete games and one shutout. He's 8th in the AL in wins! Curt Simmons couldn't have pitched much better than he did in May, and the NL thought so as well, naming the lefty Pitcher of the Month. He started 8 games in May, going 6-0 and compiling an ERA of 2.78 in 64.2 innings. Curt fanned 37 hitters. Opposing players hit .238 against Curt this season. While posting an ERA of 2.64 he went 9-3 in 15 starts, fanning 65 and walking 50 hitters. Curt has pitched one shutout and 6 complete games. He's 2nd in the NL in ERA and 3rd in wins! |
Thursday 6/1/1956: Red hot Sievers and Mathews win Batter of the Month award Roy Sievers of Baltimore wins his 4th Batter of the Month award for putting up the best numbers in the AL. He hit .418 with 25 RBI and slugged .823 in 79 at bats. Roy has gone 62 for 170 (.365) this season, hitting 13 longballs and driving in 48 runs. He has scored 44 runs on his own. He's 2nd in the AL in batting, 1st in homeruns and 2nd in RBI! It's the 2nd time that the NL Batter of the Month award goes to Philadelphia (N)'s third baseman Eddie Mathews. He hit .343 with 31 RBI and slugged .838 in 99 at bats. He has hit 21 taters while batting .294 this season. His 57 hits and 28 walks add up to a .383 on-base percentage. He's 5th in the NL in RBIs and 1st in homeruns! |
Wednesday 5/31/1956: New York (A)'s Delsing severely injured NEW YORK (A) - New York (A)'s centerfielder Jim Delsing will miss at least 7-8 weeks after he got hurt seriously while running hard toward second base. He began limping and then fell down, causing a scary moment for his teammates. He had to be carried off the field. Delsing was rushed to an hospital near the ballpark, where doctors took x-rays. Those revealed the serious injury, Pulled Achilles Tendon. Delsing has hit for a .374 average this season. He has 16 extra base hits along with 63 total bases, resulting in a .636 slugging percentage. |
Monday 5/29/1956: New York (N)'s Boyer wins Player of the Week award The AL Player of the Week award goes to Joe Adcock, Baltimore's starting first baseman. Adcock helped his team with an average of .583 and 9 RBI in 24 at bats. The Player of the Week award in the NL goes to New York (N)'s Ken Boyer this time, as the third baseman displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. In 25 at bats he hit .440 with 5 HR and 13 RBI. His season features a batting average of .335 (67 hits in 200 AB), 11 doubles, one triple and 10 bombs. Boyer collected 39 RBI and 34 runs as well. He's 9th in the NL in batting and 6th in RBI! |
Monday 5/22/1956: Washington's Noren wins Player of the Week award It's the 3rd time that the AL Player of the Week award goes to Washington's centerfielder Irv Noren. In 22 at bats he hit .455 with 2 HR and 9 RBI. It's the 4th time that the NL Player of the Week award goes to Philadelphia (N)'s third baseman Eddie Mathews. He hit .381 with 7 RBI and slugged 1.000 in 21 at bats. |
Friday 5/19/1956: Boston has no chance in a 2-hitter by Bobby Shantz BOSTON - Good things can happen when you throw strikes. And Bobby Shantz did so today, in a 2-hit shutout against Boston. 'Well, the ball went where I wanted it. I was able to hit the corners with all of my pitches.' Shantz (2-4) struck out 4 and walked 2, throwing 62 of 96 pitches for strikes. Kansas City's shortstop Sammy Meeks stroked 3 hits in 5 AB, scoring twice with 2 RBI. That was enough to support the brilliant performance of Shantz. Kansas City scored 8 runs on 13 hits. |
Thursday 5/18/1956: Chicago (A)'s Nieman severely injured CHICAGO (A) - Chicago (A)'s rightfielder Bob Nieman will miss at least 5 weeks after he got hurt seriously while running hard toward second base. He began limping and then fell down, causing a scary moment for his teammates. He had to be carried off the field. After x-rays were taken the diagnosis did not surprise many: Inflamed Posterior Cruciate Ligament. Surgery will be performed next week. His season features a batting average of .313 (41 hits in 131 AB), 8 doubles, no triples and 9 longballs. Nieman collected 31 RBI and 22 runs as well. He's 5th in the AL in RBIs and 5th in homeruns! |
Monday 5/15/1956: Brooklyn's Spencer wins Player of the Week award The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to Kansas City's Wally Moon this time, as the leftfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. He hit .517 with 7 RBI and slugged .793 in 29 at bats. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 12 game hitting streak right now. Brooklyn's shortstop Daryl Spencer had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the NL Player of the Week. He hit .500 with 9 RBI and slugged 1.100 in 20 at bats. |
Tuesday 5/9/1956: Mel Parnell fires 1-hitter against Chicago (A) CHICAGO (A) - Boston's Mel Parnell overmatched the opposing hitters all day long. Chicago (A) had no chance, collecting just one hit against the left-hander. Parnell (3-6) fanned 1 and walked 3, throwing 100 pitches. 'My catcher called a very good game. I have to give credit to him.' Carl Sawatski helped Parnell at the plate, he finished with 1 hit in 4 AB, blasting a homerun, and driving in 2 runs. Boston improved its record to 10-23, scoring 2 runs on 7 hits. |
Monday 5/8/1956: Washington's Klaus wins Player of the Week award The AL Player of the Week award goes to Billy Klaus, Washington's starting shortstop. Billy went 11 for 20 (.550), while hitting 2 HR and collecting 8 RBI. This year Klaus drove in 11 and scored 11 runs while batting .352 with 4 longballs. Ken Boyer from New York (N) wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Ken was on fire, hitting .538 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. |
Monday 5/1/1956: Cincinnati's Face named Pitcher of the Month It's the 1st time that the AL Pitcher of the Month award goes to Chicago (A)'s pitcher Bud Byerly. He had an ERA of just 2.18 in 53.2 innings of work in which he struck out 34 hitters. His record in April is 5-1. Bud also fired a shutout. The best month of April in the NL certainly had Cincinnati's right-hander Roy Face, earning him the Pitcher of the Month award. His ERA of just 3.00 helped him to a 6-0 record in April. He worked 60 innings, striking out 33 hitters while walking 9. Roy also fired a shutout. |
Monday 5/1/1956: Chicago (N)'s Jackson named Batter of the Month The Batter of the Month award in the AL goes to New York (A)'s Larry Doby this time, as the leftfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. In 92 at bats he hit .337 with 8 HR and 22 RBI. Chicago (N)'s third baseman Randy Jackson had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the NL Batter of the Month. Randy went 37 for 93 (.398), while hitting 6 HR and collecting 22 RBI. |
Monday 5/1/1956: Washington's Mcdougald wins Player of the Week award It's the 5th time that the AL Player of the Week award goes to Washington's second baseman Gil Mcdougald. He had an on base percentage of .577 and hit .522, while driving in 7 runs. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 13 game hitting streak right now. Cal Abrams from Brooklyn wins his 2nd Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Cal was on fire, hitting .520 with 4 HR and 8 RBI. |
Sunday 4/30/1956: Duke Snider slams 3 HR CINCINNATI - Brooklyn beat Cincinnati 10-9, but that was not the real story of the game. Duke Snider was, as he went deep three times. His 1st shot, a solo homerun off Roy Face in the 1st inning, cleared the fence in right field. Number 2 in the 5th inning, a shot estimated at 369 feet, cleared the wall in right field. In the 9th inning he unloaded a two-run homerun off Joe Black. Overall he got 3 hits in 4 AB, scoring three runs and collecting 4 RBI. |
Monday 4/24/1956: Player of the Week honors go to Lemon and Face Jim Lemon from Chicago (A) wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. In 26 at bats he hit .462 with 4 HR and 7 RBI. Roy Face of Cincinnati wins his 1st Player of the Week award for dominating NL's hitters the entire week. Face was overpowering all week long, going 2-0 with an ERA of 2.50. Along the way he struck out 8 in 18 innings. He hurled a shutout as well. This season Face compiled an ERA of 2.45, going 5-0 in 5 starts. He fanned 21 while giving up 38 hits in 44 innings. Roy has pitched one shutout and 3 complete games. He's 4th in the NL in ERA and 1st in wins! |
Saturday 4/22/1956: Pittsburgh's Vic Power pounds five hits PITTSBURGH - Vic Power punished Brooklyn's pitching today, collecting five hits in 6 AB. That definitely helped Pittsburgh, they won the game 12 to 11. In the 7th inning he unloaded a two-run homerun off Bill Henry. His 5th hit, off Bud Podbielan in the 9th inning, was a solo homerun and cleared the fence in left field. His final hit of the game capped his performance as it won the game, setting the crowd on fire! He had singles in the 1st inning , in the 3rd and in the 8th inning . Vic did drive in 3 while scoring 2 runs on his own. He's having a very good season so far, batting .343. |
Monday 4/17/1956: Chicago (N)'s Jackson wins Player of the Week award Roy Sievers from Baltimore wins his 8th Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. Roy pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .417 with 3 HR and 12 RBI while slugging .917. The NL Player of the Week award goes to Randy Jackson, Chicago (N)'s starting third baseman. He hit .714 with 10 RBI and slugged 1.381 in 21 at bats. |
Monday 4/10/1956: Boone (CLE) and Groth (CIN) win P.O.W. award The AL Player of the Week award goes to Ray Boone, Cleveland's starting third baseman. Boone helped his team with an average of .517 and 6 RBI in 29 at bats. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 8 games. The NL's best player of the week was Cincinnati's Johnny Groth, who wins the award for the 1st time in his career. Johnny went 13 for 25 (.520), while hitting 2 HR and collecting 10 RBI. |
Tuesday 4/4/1956: Jack Banta fires 2-hitter against Boston BOSTON - Boston's bats were sleeping, and Detroit's Jack Banta gave them no chance to wake up. He gave up just 2 hits in recording his 1st shutout of the season. 'I really like to play baseball, and I love the way I was able to play it today.' Banta (1-0) struck out 7 and walked 5, throwing 61 of 98 pitches for strikes. Joe Ginsberg provided Detroit with the offense Banta needed as he collected 3 hits in 4 trips to the plate. Detroit scored 1 run on 6 hits. |