
June 8, 1961: Milwaukee Braves belt a record four consecutive home runs in one inning
Six teams were within six games of one another in a wild scramble…

June 16, 1961: Lew Krausse Jr. twirls debut shutout 10 days after high-school graduation
On the Saturday before graduating from high school in June 1961,…

June 17, 1961: Tigers outslug Yankees and take first place
The explosive Tigers-Yankees matchup that took place at Tiger…

June 18, 1961: Red Sox sweep Senators in a double walk-off doubleheader
Talk about a spree, in which one player had a huge impact in…

June 18, 1961: Goodman, Fox win it for White Sox in 9th with unlikely homers
Two of the least likely home-run hitters both struck in the ninth…

June 18, 1961: Don Leppert debuts with home run, pickoff in Pirates’ win over Cardinals
Defending their first World Series championship in 35 years,…

June 19, 1961: Gene Baker becomes first Black manager in affiliated minor leagues
Gene Baker was not, as is sometimes reported, the first Black…

June 20, 1961: Julio Becquer hits first pinch-hit and walk-off home run in Minnesota Twins history
The 1961 American League baseball season ushered in change. The…

June 23, 1961: Phillies stun Pirates, 12-11
The Pirates were fresh off winning the 1960 World Series in one…

June 23, 1961: Stan Musial knocks in seven runs for Cardinals
The turnstiles at Busch Stadium, the renamed Sportsman’s…

June 26, 1961: International League All-Stars buzzsaw big-league Indians with two-hitter
Official records will tell you that Tommy John made his first…

June 28, 1961: Ron Santo comes up big with two homers, seven RBIs
“The Cubs had 25 base runners, and (the public-address) announcer…

June 29, 1961: Willie Mays hits three homers, including the game-winner in the 10th
Willie Mays became just the fourth major leaguer to hit at…

July 2, 1961: Yankee bats pummel Senators on way to home run records
Sunday, July 2, 1961, was a muggy day at Yankee Stadium, with…

July 4, 1961: Julio Becquer’s sudden shot on the Fourth of July wins it for Twins
Roman candles and bottle rockets lit up the evening sky on the…

July 4, 1961: Harmon Killebrew hits first inside-the-park home run in Twins history
Sports columnist Charles Johnson wrote of the 1961 Twins team:…

July 5, 1961: 700 nuns but only 2 runs equal loss for Red Sox
On January 20, 1961, nearly a million people in Washington, D.C.,1…

July 9, 1961: Willie Kirkland hits 3 homers, bunts in the ninth inning
Frank Lane was no longer Cleveland’s general manager. He resigned…

July 11, 1961: Clemente delivers a walk-off win for NL stars in 10th inning
Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente was no stranger to baseball’s…

July 22, 1961: Spahn, Adcock, Clemente homer as Braves nip Pirates
Forty-year-old Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves was only…

July 30, 1961: Trailblazer Pumpsie Green helps Red Sox come back with pinch-hit home run
Pumpsie Green holds two places in Boston Red Sox history –…

August 3, 1961: Pirates’ 24-hit attack produces NL record-tying shutout
“We just got slaughtered,” muttered St. Louis Cardinals skipper…

August 11, 1961: Braves’ Warren Spahn wins his 300th career game
Warren Spahn joined the elite group of 300-game winners with…

August 20, 1961: Phillies beat Braves to end 23-game losing streak
When the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves played a…