From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
The following are the baseball events of the year 1958 throughout the world.
Champions
Major League Baseball
Other champions
Awards and honors
MLB statistical leaders
Major league baseball final standings
American League final standings
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National League final standings
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Events
January–March
- January 28 – Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella suffers a broken neck in an early morning auto accident on Long Island. His spinal column is nearly severed and his legs are permanently paralyzed. Campanella will never play for the Dodgers after their move to Los Angeles, although a newspaper story (showing a picture of him wearing a Brooklyn cap) describes him as being of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- February 4 – The Baseball Hall of Fame fails to elect any new members for the first time since 1950.
- February 6 – Ted Williams signs a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. Reports on the worth of the contract estimate from $135,000 to $150,000. Either way, Williams becomes the highest paid player in major league history.
April–June
- April 15 – In the first Major League Baseball game played on the West Coast, Rubén Gómez of the San Francisco Giants hurls an 8-0 shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Giants' shortstop Daryl Spencer hits the first Major League home run on the Pacific Coast. A park-record 23,192 fans pack Seals Stadium to witness the historic game.
- April 25 – The Los Angeles Dodgers beats the St. Louis Cardinals, 5–3, setting a record for the most fans at a regular season night game as 60,635 attend a game at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
- May 12 – Willie Mays hits the first grand slam in San Francisco Giants history. Mays also belts another home run in a 12–3 victory over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
- May 13
- May 23 – Willie Mays hits 200th career home run, helping the San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Braves, 5–3.
- June 12 – In a shortstops transaction, the Cleveland Indians send Chico Carrasquel to the Kansas City Athletics in exchange for Billy Hunter.
- June 15 – Chico Carrasquel went 5-for-6 with four runs batted in and scored two times, as the Kansas City Athletics edged the Boston Red Sox, 17–6, at Fenway Park. Héctor López collected four RBI, while Bob Cerv and Frank House added two runs and three RBI a piece. Ralph Terry was the winning pitcher and Jack Urban earned the save, while Willard Nixon got the loss. For Carrasquel, it was the fifth five-hit game of his career.
- June 27 – Against the Washington Senators at Comiskey Park, Billy Pierce of the Chicago White Sox has a perfect game broken up with two out in the ninth—by inches. Pinch-hitter Ed Fitz Gerald hits Pierce's first pitch down the right field line, the ball landing just inside the foul line for a double, the only hit Pierce allows in a 3-0 White Sox victory. The perfect game would have been the first in regular season play since that of another White Sox, Charlie Robertson, in 1922.
July–September
- July 8 – At Memorial Stadium, home of the Baltimore Orioles, the American League defeated the National League, 4-3, in the All-Star Game. This was the first All-Star Game without an extra-base hit.
- July 20 – In the first game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park, Jim Bunning of the Detroit Tigers no-hits the Boston Red Sox 3-0.
- July 28 – For the sixth time in his career, Mickey Mantle hits home runs from both sides of the plate. New York beats the Athletics, 14-7.
- August 23 – At Yankee Stadium, Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox strikes out against Whitey Ford in the first inning of the White Sox' 7-1 victory over the New York Yankees. The strikeout ends Fox's streak of 98 consecutive games without striking out; he had last struck out on May 16 against Dick Tomanek of the Cleveland Indians.
- September 14 – The New York Yankees sweep a doubleheader against the Kansas City Athletics, 5-3 and 12-7 (14 innings), clinching their fourth straight American League pennant.
- September 20 – At Memorial Stadium, Hoyt Wilhelm of the Baltimore Orioles no-hits the New York Yankees 1-0, striking out eight along the way. It is the first no-hitter since the franchise's move to Baltimore. Wilhelm had pitched exclusively in relief prior to this season; this was only his ninth career start.
- September 21 – The Milwaukee Braves clinch their second consecutive National League pennant with a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, thus ensuring a Yankees-Braves World Series for the second straight year.
October–December
- October 9 – The New York Yankees defeat the Milwaukee Braves, 6–2, in the decisive Game 7 of the World Series to win their eighteenth World Championship title. Yankees 1B Moose Skowron's three-run home run off Milwaukee pitcher Lew Burdette in the 8th inning puts the game on ice. The Yankees became only the second team to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series (the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates were the first to do it). Milwaukee's Eddie Mathews strikes out for the 11th time, a record that will stand until 1980, when broken by Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals. The Braves' 53 strikeouts are also a new Series record. This is the seventh WS title for manager Casey Stengel, tying him with Joe McCarthy for the most Series won. Yankees P Bob Turley is named the Series MVP.
- November 12 – New York Yankees pitcher Bob Turley, who posted a 21-7 record with 168 strikeouts and a 2.97 earned run average, is named the MLB Cy Young Award. With only one award given for the two leagues, Turley gathers five votes to four for the last year winner, Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves, who went 22-11 with 150 SO and a 3.07 ERA.
- November 25 – Chicago Cubs slugger Ernie Banks, who hit a .313 average with 47 home runs and 129 RBI, is named National League MVP. Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants is the runner-up, after going .347, 29, 96.
- November 26 – Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jensen, who hit .286 with 31 home runs and 122 RBI, is named American League MVP, winning over New York Yankees pitcher Bob Turley (21-7, 2.94 ERA), and Cleveland Indians outfielder Rocky Colavito (.303, 41, 113).
- November 28:
- The American League announces that its Opening Day will be April 9 making it earliest date ever to open the junior circuit's regular season.
- The Boston Red Sox sign teenage sensation Carl Yastrzemski to a reported bonus of $100,000. The future Hall of Famer will make his major league debut with Boston in the 1961 season.
- November 30 – Italian baseball commissioner Prince Borghese visits the United States to seek aid in organizing Italian teams.
- December 2:
- December 4 – The American Association expands to 10 teams by admitting the Houston Buffs, Dallas Rangers, and Fort Worth Cats from the Texas League. This effectively denudes the Texas League, leaving it with five teams and a vacancy.
Movies
Births
January–February
March–April
May–June
July–August
September–October
November–December
Deaths
- January 23 – Walter Lonergan, 72, shortstop for the 1911 Boston Red Sox
- March 28 – Chuck Klein, 53, slugging right fielder, primarily with the Philadelphia Phillies, who was named the NL's MVP in 1932 and won the Triple Crown one year later; the 7th player to hit 300 home runs, winning four league titles
- April 14 – John Freeman, 57, outfielder for the 1927 Boston Red Sox
- April 20 – Chet Nourse, 70, pitcher for the 1909 Boston Red Sox
- June 9 – John Fick, 37, pitcher for the 1944 Philadelphia Blue Jays
- August 1 – Ike Boone, 61, an outfielder for the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1922 and 1932, who posted an ML career average of .321, compiled a .370 BA for the highest minor league all-time, and set a professional baseball record in 1929 collecting 553 total bases while playing in the Pacific Coast League
- September 6 – Tommy de la Cruz, 46, Cuban pitcher for the 1944 Cincinnati Reds, and one of many players who only appeared in the majors during World War II
- November 21 – Mel Ott, 49, Hall of Fame outfielder and 12-time All-Star for the New York Giants who held National League career record for home runs (511), leading league 6 times
- November 27 – Harry G. Salsinger, 71, sportswriter for the Detroit News for over 50 years
- December 8 – Tris Speaker, 70, Hall of Fame center fielder known for spectacular defense as well as superlative batting, becoming the second player to compile over 3,500 hits and posting a .345 career average
- December 31 – Jack Doyle, 89, 17 year playing career includes a one time stint as manager of the New York Giants.
