1964 – St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Ken Boyer, who hit .295 with 24 home runs and 119 RBI, is selected as the National League Most Valuable Player. Boyer outdistances Johnny Callison and Bill White for the honor.
1964 – The New York Mets purchase future Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn from the Milwaukee Braves. In addition to serving on the club’s coaching staff, Spahn will post a 4-12 record in twenty appearances before being released. Spahn will then sign with the San Francisco Giants, his last major league team.
1964 – Baltimore Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson is voted American League Most Valuable Player, outpolling Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees 269 to 171.
Yogi Berra signs a two-year contract with the Mets as a player-coach, earning $35,000 per season. The recently fired Yankee manager, donning his familiar number 8, will collect two hits in his limited nine National League at-bats.
On November 12, 1964, former Cincinnati Reds manager Fred Hutchinson dies after a battle with cancer. On August 19, the 45-year-old Hutchinson had resigned as Cincinnati’s skipper due to his illness. The major leagues will eventually institute the “Hutch” Award, given to the player who displays the courage of the former manager…
The Braves sign a twenty-five year lease to play in the newly constructed Atlanta Stadium and will continue to play there until the team moves next door to Turner Field in 1997. The ballpark, which becomes officially known as Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1975, will affectionately be called the ‘Launching Pad,’ reflecting the ease that home runs were hit there due to being located 1,000 feet above sea level on foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
The Braves, for the second time in eleven years, receive permission to shift their franchise to another city. Hank Aaron and company will move from Milwaukee to Atlanta after the 1965 season.
Philadelphia voters approve a $25 million bond issue to build a new sport stadium. Due to cost overruns, a 1967 measure will be needed to authorize an additional $13 million, bringing the final price tag to approximately $50 million, making Veterans Stadium one of the most expensive ballparks ever built.
The Columbia Broadcasting System becomes the first corporate owner of a major league team by buying eighty percent of the Yankees from Dan Topping and Del Webb for $11.2 million. During the first year under CBS, the Bronx Bombers will come in sixth place with a 77-85 record, finishing in the second division for the first time in 40 years.
1964 – After just 11 years in Milwaukee, the Braves’ Board of Directors votes to ask the National League for permission to move to Atlanta. Milwaukee County officials sue to block the move.