1963 Milwaukee Braves season
Encyclopedia
Offseason
- October 11, 1962: Ron HuntRon HuntRonald Kenneth Hunt is a former Major League Baseball player. A second baseman who also played third base sparingly, Hunt played for the New York Mets , Los Angeles Dodgers , San Francisco Giants , Montreal Expos and St...
was purchased from the Braves by the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. - November 26, 1962: Ellis BurtonEllis BurtonEllis Narrington Burton is a retired American professional baseball player, an outfielder who played in 215 games over parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958 and 1960, the Cleveland Indians in 1963, and the Chicago Cubs from 1963 to 1965...
was drafted from the Braves by the Houston Colt .45sHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
in the 1962 rule 5 draftRule 5 draftThe Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
. - November 26, 1962: 1962 first-year draft
- Hal HaydelHal HaydelHal Haydel is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Haydel signed with the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1962. Later that year, he was drafted in the First-Year Player Draft by the Houston Colt .45s. The following year, he was traded along with Dick LeMay and Merritt Ranew to the Chicago...
was drafted from the Braves by the Houston Colt .45s. - Don TaussigDon TaussigDonald Franklin Taussig is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of three seasons in the majors: for the San Francisco Giants, for the St. Louis Cardinals, and for the Houston Colt .45s.-Sources:...
was drafted by the Braves from the Houston Colt .45s.
- Hal Haydel
- November 30, 1962: Jim BolgerJim 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...
, Don NottebartDon NottebartDonald Edward Nottebart was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for five teams from 1960 to 1969. Primarily a reliever, he spent the 1963 to 1965 seasons as a starter with the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, and threw the first no-hitter in franchise history in 1963...
, and Connie GrobConnie GrobConrad George Grob was an American professional baseball player in the 1950s and 1960s. A right-handed pitcher, he spent one full season — — in Major League Baseball as a member of the Washington Senators...
were traded by the Braves to the Houston Colt .45sHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
for Norm LarkerNorm LarkerNorman Howard John Larker was a first baseman/outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1958 through 1963. Listed at 6' 0", 185 lbs., Larker batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania.Larker played in the minor leagues even before 1950...
. - Prior to 1963 season: Lou KlimchockLou KlimchockLouis Stephen Klimchock was an infielder for the Kansas City Athletics , Milwaukee Braves , Washington Senators , New York Mets and Cleveland Indians ....
was acquired from the Braves by the Washington SenatorsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
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Regular season
- April 16, 1963: Eddie MathewsEddie MathewsEdwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
hit the 400th home runHome runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
of his career. Along with Duke SniderDuke SniderEdwin Donald "Duke" Snider , nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Mets , and San Francisco Giants .Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of...
, Mathews became part of the first duo to reach the 400 plateau in the same season.
Notable transactions
- May 6, 1963: Lou KlimchockLou KlimchockLouis Stephen Klimchock was an infielder for the Kansas City Athletics , Milwaukee Braves , Washington Senators , New York Mets and Cleveland Indians ....
was returned to the Braves by the Washington Senators. - May 8, 1963: Lou JohnsonLou JohnsonLouis Brown Johnson , nicknamed "Sweet Lou" and "Slick", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder...
and cash were traded by the Braves to the Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
for Chico FernándezChico FernandezHumberto "Chico" Fernández Pérez is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played eight seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Philadelphia Phillies , Detroit Tigers , and New York Mets . Fernández played in 856 Major League games, 810 at shortstop...
. - May 8, 1963: Chico Fernández was traded by the Braves to the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
for Larry FossLarry FossLarry Curtis Foss is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played one season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1961 and one season with the 1962 New York Mets expansion team.-External links:...
. - August 8, 1963: Norm LarkerNorm LarkerNorman Howard John Larker was a first baseman/outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1958 through 1963. Listed at 6' 0", 185 lbs., Larker batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania.Larker played in the minor leagues even before 1950...
was purchased from the Braves by the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
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Roster
| 1963 Milwaukee Braves | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 142 | 501 | 147 | .293 | 14 | 71 | |
| 3B | 158 | 547 | 144 | .263 | 23 | 84 | |
| LF | 124 | 442 | 120 | .271 | 11 | 34 | |
| RF | 161 | 631 | 201 | .319 | 44 | 130 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 147 | 26 | .177 | 1 | 14 | |
| 46 | 120 | 26 | .217 | 3 | 15 | |
| 24 | 46 | 9 | .196 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 | 16 | 4 | .250 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 259.2 | 23 | 7 | 2.60 | 102 | |
| 46 | 237 | 11 | 14 | 3.04 | 190 | |
| 19 | 116.2 | 5 | 7 | 2.62 | 72 | |
| 15 | 84 | 6 | 5 | 3.64 | 28 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 169.1 | 9 | 9 | 3.93 | 105 | |
| 48 | 159 | 7 | 11 | 2.66 | 105 | |
| 41 | 145.1 | 9 | 11 | 3.78 | 100 | |
| 31 | 74.1 | 4 | 3 | 4.96 | 72 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5.40 | 44 | |
| 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.40 | 40 | |
| 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.09 | 19 | |
| 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2.68 | 19 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.00 | 6 |
Awards and honors
All-Star Game1963 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1963 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 31st playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held in Cleveland, Ohio, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, home of the American...
- Hank Aaron, outfield, starter
- Warren SpahnWarren SpahnWarren Edward Spahn was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42...
, reserve - Joe TorreJoe TorreJoseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...
, reserve