1967 Major League Baseball season
The 1967 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 10 to October 12, 1967. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Boston Red Sox four games to three in the World Series, which was the first World Series appearance for the Red Sox in 21 years. Following the season, the Kansas City Athletics relocated to Oakland.
1967 MLB season | |
---|---|
League | Major League Baseball |
Sport | Baseball |
Duration | April 10 – October 12, 1967 |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Ron Blomberg |
Picked by | New York Yankees |
Regular season | |
Season MVP | AL: Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) NL: Orlando Cepeda (STL) |
Postseason | |
AL champions | Boston Red Sox |
AL runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
NL runners-up | San Francisco Giants |
World Series | |
Champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
Runners-up | Boston Red Sox |
Finals MVP | Bob Gibson (STL) |
The season was filled with historic seasons from multiple players. Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox had tied for the most home runs in MLB with Harmon Killebrew, giving him the elusive triple crown. He led the American League in batting average (.326), home runs due to the tie with Killebrew (44) and runs batted in (121).
This feat would not be accomplished again until Miguel Cabrera earned the triple crown in 2012 with the Detroit Tigers.[1] Yastrzemski also won the AL MVP and led the Red Sox to the AL pennant for the first time in nearly two decades. They would ultimately lose to the St. Louis Cardinals 7–2 in Game 7 of the World Series.[2]
The Cardinals had standout players as well, with first baseman Orlando Cepeda becoming the first unanimously voted NL MVP. Cepeda finished the season with 25 home runs, 111 rbis and a .325 batting average. He did however, struggle in the World Series, hitting only .103 with one rbi.[3]
Awards and honors
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- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Most Valuable Player
- Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox, OF (AL)
- Orlando Cepeda, St. Louis Cardinals, 1B (NL)
- Cy Young Award
- Rookie of the Year
- Rod Carew, Minnesota Twins, 2B (AL)
- Tom Seaver, New York Mets, SP (NL)
- Gold Glove Award
- George Scott (1B) (AL)
- Bobby Knoop (2B) (AL)
- Brooks Robinson (3B) (AL)
- Jim Fregosi (SS) (AL)
- Paul Blair (OF) (AL)
- Al Kaline (OF) (AL)
- Carl Yastrzemski (OF) (AL)
- Bill Freehan (C) (AL)
- Jim Kaat (P) (AL)
MLB statistical leaders
|
1 American League Triple Crown Batting Winner
Major league baseball final standings
American League final standings
American League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Red Sox | 92 | 70 | 0.568 | — | 49–32 | 43–38 |
Detroit Tigers | 91 | 71 | 0.562 | 1 | 52–29 | 39–42 |
Minnesota Twins | 91 | 71 | 0.562 | 1 | 52–29 | 39–42 |
Chicago White Sox | 89 | 73 | 0.549 | 3 | 49–33 | 40–40 |
California Angels | 84 | 77 | 0.522 | 7½ | 53–30 | 31–47 |
Washington Senators | 76 | 85 | 0.472 | 15½ | 40–40 | 36–45 |
Baltimore Orioles | 76 | 85 | 0.472 | 15½ | 35–42 | 41–43 |
Cleveland Indians | 75 | 87 | 0.463 | 17 | 36–45 | 39–42 |
New York Yankees | 72 | 90 | 0.444 | 20 | 43–38 | 29–52 |
Kansas City Athletics | 62 | 99 | 0.385 | 29½ | 37–44 | 25–55 |
National League final standings
National League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis Cardinals | 101 | 60 | 0.627 | — | 49–32 | 52–28 |
San Francisco Giants | 91 | 71 | 0.562 | 10½ | 51–31 | 40–40 |
Chicago Cubs | 87 | 74 | 0.540 | 14 | 49–34 | 38–40 |
Cincinnati Reds | 87 | 75 | 0.537 | 14½ | 49–32 | 38–43 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 82 | 80 | 0.506 | 19½ | 45–35 | 37–45 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 81 | 81 | 0.500 | 20½ | 49–32 | 32–49 |
Atlanta Braves | 77 | 85 | 0.475 | 24½ | 48–33 | 29–52 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 73 | 89 | 0.451 | 28½ | 42–39 | 31–50 |
Houston Astros | 69 | 93 | 0.426 | 32½ | 46–35 | 23–58 |
New York Mets | 61 | 101 | 0.377 | 40½ | 36–42 | 25–59 |
Other
- April 21 – The Los Angeles Dodgers run of 737 consecutive games without a game being rained out ends.[4]
- May 14 - Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run at Yankee Stadium.
- October 18, 1967: City officials from Kansas City, Oakland and Seattle were invited by Joe Cronin to discuss the A's relocation plans. United States Senator Stuart Symington attended the meeting and discussed the possibility of revoking baseball's antitrust exemption if the A's were allowed to leave Kansas City. The owners began deliberation and after the first ballot, only six owners were in favor of relocation. The owner of Baltimore voted against, while the ownership for Cleveland, New York and Washington had abstained.[5] In the second ballot, the New York Yankees voted in favor of the Athletics relocation to Oakland. To appease all interested parties, the Athletics announced that MLB would expand to Kansas City and Seattle no later than the 1971 MLB season.[6] MLB owners, bowing to Symington's threat, awarded Kansas City and Seattle expansion American League franchises for the 1969 season.
References
- Carl Yastrzemski
- https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cepedor01.shtml
- https://www.baseball-almanac.com/yearly/yr1967a.shtml
- Pellowski, Michael J (2007). The Little Giant Book of Baseball Facts. United States: Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 352. ISBN 9781402742736.
- Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p. 113, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
- Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.114, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0