The 1959

1959 Major League Baseball season

-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player**Nellie Fox, Chicago White Sox **Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs *Cy Young Award**Early Wynn, Chicago White Sox *Rookie of the Year**Bob Allison, Washington Senators...

 Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 season was the team's 84th season in the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

. The Cubs finished with a record of 74 wins and 80 losses, good for a fifth-place tie with the Cincinnati Reds

1959 Cincinnati Reds season

The Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds finishing in a fifth-place tie with the Chicago Cubs in the National League standings, with a record of 74-80, 13 games behind the NL and World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers...

, thirteen games behind the NL and World Series Champion

1959 World Series

The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, four games to two. It was the first pennant for the White Sox in 40 years . They would have to wait until 2005 to win another championship...

 Los Angeles Dodgers

1959 Los Angeles Dodgers season

The Los Angeles Dodgers finished in a first-place tie with the Milwaukee Braves, then won the pennant as they swept the Braves in a best-of-three playoff series. They went on to defeat the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series in just their second season since leaving Brooklyn.- Offseason :*...

.

Offseason

• January 23, 1959: Jim Bolger
  Jim Bolger (baseball)
  James Cyril Bolger is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Although Bolger played for the Reds, Indians, and Athletics, Bolger had over two-thirds of his major league playing time with the Chicago Cubs. In 1957 Bolger achieved his career-high batting average of .275, in 273 at...
  
   and John Briggs
  John Briggs (baseball)
  Jonathan Tift Briggs is a retired American professional baseball player, a former pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for five seasons for the Chicago Cubs from 1956 to 1958, the Cleveland Indians from 1959 to 1960, and the Kansas City Athletics in 1960...
  
   were traded by the Cubs to the Cleveland Indians
  Cleveland Indians
  The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
  
   for Earl Averill
  Earl Averill, Jr.
  Earl Douglas Averill, Jr. , is a former professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from 1956-1963. He played for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians.-External links:...
  
   and Morrie Martin
  Morrie Martin
  Morris Webster Martin was a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched in the major leagues from 1949–1959, appearing in 250 games for several different teams....
  
  .
• March 9, 1959: Chuck Tanner
  Chuck Tanner
  Charles William "Chuck" Tanner was a left fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He was known for his unwavering confidence and infectious optimism. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship in 1979...
  
   was traded by the Cubs to the Boston Red Sox
  Boston Red Sox
  The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
  
   for Bob Smith.
• Prior to 1959 season: Dick Burwell
  Dick Burwell
  Richard Matthew Burwell is a former professional baseball pitcher. Burwell pitched parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball, 1960 and 1961, for the Chicago Cubs. Burwell pitched in a total of five major league games, including one start in 1960 against the Cincinnati Reds.-Sources:...
  
   was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs.

Regular season

Ernie Banks

Ernie Banks

Ernest "Ernie" Banks , nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and first baseman. He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the Chicago Cubs . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.-High school years:Banks was a letterman and standout in football,...

 became the first shortstop

Shortstop

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

 in the history of the NL to win the MVP award in back to back seasons.

Notable transactions

• May 4, 1959: Bob Smith was traded by the Cubs to the Cleveland Indians
  Cleveland Indians
  The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
  
   for Randy Jackson.

Roster

1959 Chicago Cubs
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders Other batters		Manager Coaches

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		110	353	95	.269	13	43
2B		150	624	175	.280	8	38
3B		136	477	126	.264	6	45
SS		155	589	179	.304	45	143
RF		120	354	91	.257	8	33

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
	122	374	97	.259	11	52
	108	294	74	.252	11	40
	74	186	44	.237	10	34
	41	74	18	.243	1	10
	18	33	5	.152	0	2
	6	4	1	.250	0	1
	15	1	0	.000	0	0

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
	37	235.1	12	13	4.13	113
	31	141.2	5	10	4.13	70
	18	102	5	5	4.76	56
	8	27.1	1	2	5.93	15

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
	31	101.1	4	5	4.97	33
	4	16.2	0	0	2.16	6

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
	65	10	8	13	3.32	82
	65	9	8	12	2.68	115
	9	1	1	0	3.14	6
	3	0	0	0	19.29	1
	1	0	0	0	81.00	0

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Morristown