On November 18, 1963, the Detroit Tigers trade outfielder Rocky Colavito and pitcher Bob Anderson to the Kansas City A’s and a reported $50,000 for second baseman Jerry Lumpe and pitchers Dave Wickersham and Ed Rakow. Colavito will hit 34 home runs and drive in 102 runs for the A’s in 1964 and will be…
1963 – New York Yankees catcher Elston Howard becomes the first black player to win the American League MVP Award. Howard beats out Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers by 248 votes to 148 in the balloting.
The Cardinals trade outfielder George Altman and pitcher Bill Wakefield to the Mets for veteran right-hander Roger Craig. Next season, the hard-luck hurler, who has lost 20 games the last two years, will win Game 4 of the Fall Classic, beating the Yankees, for the World Champion Redbirds.
1963 – Judge Roy Hofheinz leads a ceremony marking the topping point of construction on the new domed stadium . Hofheinz remarks that builders are running ahead of schedule. There is optimism that the stadium will be ready before the 1964 season ends but the new park sees only September fungo practice as completion nears.
Sandy Koufax, who unanimously won the Cy Young Award six days ago, is also named the National League’s MVP. The Dodger southpaw, who compiled a 25-5 record along with a 1.88 ERA, out points Cardinals’ infielder Dick Groat, 237-190.
October 29, 1963 – Milwaukee Braves president John McHale confirmed that the Detroit Tigers had offered slugger Rocky Colavito to Milwaukee, possibly for Eddie Mathews, and that “we are interested.” The trade was never consummated. [jetpack_subscription_form title=”Join the Community” subscribe_text=”We bring you cool stories about the game, players, ballparks and the people that shaped the…
Vintage photo of Topps 1963 Rookie All Star Team. Members of the Topps Rookie All-Star Team are shown at Waldorf Astoria October 24th, where they received their awards at luncheon ceremony. Front row, left to right: Billy Cowan, Salt Lake City Bears minor league player of the year; Jimmie Hall, Minnesota Twins; Pete Rose, Cincinnati…
Baseball is the only game you can watch on the radio. Join the community today and listen to hundreds of broadcasts from baseball’s golden age! Sign Up or learn more On October 24, 1963, the New York Yankees name former star catcher Yogi Berra their new manager. Berra replaces Ralph Houk, another former catcher,…
1963 – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax is the unanimous winner of the Cy Young Award.
October 20, 1963 – Warren Spahn, in St. Louis for a banquet honoring Stan Musial’s retirement, attended the football game between the Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers. Bart Starr got injured, but the Packers won easily, 30-7. [jetpack_subscription_form title=”Join the Community” subscribe_text=”We bring you cool stories about the game, players, ballparks and the people…