1963 – Colts score four times against Sandy Koufax in the sixth to emerge with a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers. Howie Goss drives in two runs. Carroll Hardy and Hal Smith also generate RBI singles.
On April 13, 1963, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Pete Rose records his first major league hit, tripling against Bob Friend of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rose, who had gone hitless in his first 11 at-bats, will go on to collect more hits than any player in major league history.
Boston Red Sox rookie Dave Morehead shuts out the Washington Senators, 3 – 0, in his first major league appearance. Morehead is the first Red Sox pitcher to debut with a shutout since Boo Ferriss in 1945.
On April 11, 1963, Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves becomes the all-time winningest left-hander in major league history. Spahn’s 6-1 victory over the New York Mets gives him 328 career wins, moving him ahead of Eddie Plank on the all-time list…
The Tigers claim Denny McLain on first-year waivers from the White Sox. The right-hander, who will become the game’s last 30-game winner playing in the Motor City, will win the American League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award in 1968, helping Detroit to win its first World Series in 23 years.
After being promised the Secretary of Labor would intervene to mediate their dispute, the D.C. Stadium striking vendors do not appear at the ballpark, and President Kennedy doesn’t have to cross a picket line to toss out the ceremonial first pitch. The Senators lose the game 3-1, and JFK’s suggestion of playing Tom Brown doesn’t pan out as the rookie first baseman fans three times.
In his first major league at-bat, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds works out a walk off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Earl Francis.
1963 – Colt .45s trade outfielder Manny Mota to Pittsburgh for outfielder Howie Goss, who lasts one season. Mota torments Houston pitchers for the next twenty years.
1963 – The Houston Colt .45s send young Manny Mota to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a prospect and cash. For five years, Mota will be a solid fourth outfielder for the Pirates and an outstanding pinch hitter.
On April 1, 1963, the New York Mets purchase the “Duke of Flatbush,” veteran outfielder Duke Snider, from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Snider, one of the most popular players in the New York City area, starred for Brooklyn from 1947 to ‘57. The future Hall of Famer will hit 14 home runs for the Mets in 1963.
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