The 1958 Milwaukee Braves season was the sixth in Milwaukee and the 88th overall season of the franchise. The Braves finished first in the National League with a 92–62 record and returned to the World Series for the second consecutive year, losing to the New York Yankees in seven games. The Braves set a Major League record which still stands for the fewest players caught stealing in a season, with 8.
Offseason December 1, 1958: Claude Raymond was drafted from the Braves by the Chicago White Sox in the 1958 rule 5 draft.Claude Raymond page at Baseball Reference Prior to 1958 season: Manny Jiménez was acquired by the Braves from Ciudad Juárez.Manny Jiménez page at Baseball-Reference Prior to 1958 season: In an unusual turn of events for a World Series champion, Braves' manager Fred Haney replaced all four members of his 1957 coaching staff after the Fall Classic triumph: third-base coach Connie Ryan, first-base coach Johnny Riddle, pitching coach Charlie Root, and bullpen coach Bob Keely. Root and Keely were holdovers from Charlie Grimm's staff, while Ryan was a former infielder and minor league manager for the Braves.Wolf, Gregory H., editor, There's Joy in Braveland: The 1957 Milwaukee Braves. Phoenix, AZ: The Society for American Baseball Research, 2014. E-book . Haney replaced them with Billy Herman, John Fitzpatrick, Whit Wyatt and George Susce. Herman and Wyatt were recruited from the Dodgers and Phillies respectively, and Susce was a veteran bullpen coach from the American League. Fitzpatrick had previously coached for Haney with the Pirates and in the Pacific Coast League.
Regular season
Season summary The core of the Braves team was once again Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock, Warren Spahn, and Lew Burdette. Also, outfielder Bill Bruton came back from his season-ending injury in 1957 to play in 100 games. Aaron led the team with 196 hits, 109 runs scored, .326 batting average and 95 runs batted in, and Mathews led the team with 31 home runs.
However, in 1958 the Braves' third starting pitcher, Bob Buhl, was injured after pitching in just 11 games (winning five), which put even more pressure on Spahn, Burdette, and their manager Fred Haney to be able to win. Also, because of injuries, Adcock played in only 105 games, and Wes Covington played in just 90. Red Schoendienst played in just 106 games, including many as just a pinch hitter, and it was discovered the next year that he had tuberculosis. In this difficult situation, Spahn posted a 22–11 record in 290 innings pitched and 23 complete games, and Burdette had a 20–10 record in 275.1 innings.
The Braves repeated as the National League champions, this time by a margin of eight games over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The New York Yankees again won the American League, hence the two teams faced off against each other again in the World Series. The Braves roared ahead by winning three of the first four games for a 3–1 lead in the series. However, the Yankees regrouped and won games five, six, and seven—the final two in Milwaukee County Stadium, the Braves' home stadium—to win the World Championship.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Opening Day lineup Red Schoendienst 2B Bob Hazle RF Eddie Mathews 3B Hank Aaron CF Frank Torre 1B Harry Hanebrink LF Johnny Logan SS Del Crandall C Warren Spahn P
Notable transactions June 13, 1958: Carl Sawatski was traded by the Braves to the Philadelphia Phillies for Joe Lonnett.Carl Sawatski page at Baseball Reference
Roster 1958 Milwaukee Braves Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders
Other batters Manager
Coaches
Player stats = Indicates team leader = Indicates league leader
Batting
Starters by position Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI C 131 427 116 .272 18 63 1B 138 372 115 .309 6 55 2B 106 427 112 .262 1 24 SS 145 530 120 .226 11 53 3B 149 536 137 .251 31 77 LF 90 294 97 .330 24 74 CF 100 325 91 .280 3 28 RF 153 601 196 .326 30 95
Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI 105 320 88 .275 19 54 85 226 50 .221 7 19 95 164 39 .238 3 23 44 136 42 .309 3 10 63 133 25 .188 4 10 43 121 27 .223 1 8 31 71 14 .197 0 0 20 56 10 .179 0 5 9 14 5 .357 0 1 10 10 1 .100 0 1 16 9 4 .444 0 0 4 8 1 .125 0 0 3 3 2 .667 0 0 1 1 0 .000 0 0
Pitching
Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO 38 290.0 22 11 3.07 150 40 275.1 20 10 2.91 113 11 73.0 5 2 3.45 27
Other pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO 28 147.1 10 6 3.42 84 23 140.0 9 7 2.70 74 16 96.2 6 4 2.70 84 18 96.2 7 5 2.14 74 26 72.0 0 6 4.88 53 27 55.0 1 3 3.93 31
Relief pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G W L SV ERA SO 38 7 2 8 3.68 37 19 2 4 1 3.02 26 15 3 1 1 8.10 13 4 0 1 1 4.26 7
1958 World Series
Game 1 October 1, 1958, at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Team12345678910RHENew York (A)0001200000381Milwaukee (N)00020001014100W: Warren Spahn (1–0) L: Ryne Duren (0–1)HR: NYY – Bill Skowron (1), Hank Bauer (1)
Game 2 October 2, 1958, at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Team123456789RHENew York (A)100100003570Milwaukee (N)71000023x13151W: Lew Burdette (1–0) L: Bob Turley (0–1)HR: NYY – Mickey Mantle (1, 2), Hank Bauer (2) MIL – Bill Bruton (1), Lew Burdette (1)
Game 3 October 4, 1958, at Yankee Stadium in New York City Team123456789RHEMilwaukee (N)000000000060New York (A)00002020x440W: Don Larsen (1–0) L: Bob Rush (0–1)HR: NYY – Hank Bauer (3)
Game 4 October 5, 1958, at Yankee Stadium in New York City Team123456789RHEMilwaukee (N)000001110390New York (A)000000000021W: Warren Spahn (2–0) L: Whitey Ford (0–1)
Game 5 October 6, 1958, at Yankee Stadium in New York City Team123456789RHEMilwaukee (N)000000000050New York (A)00100600x7100W: Bob Turley (1–1) L: Lew Burdette (1–1)HR: NYY – Gil McDougald (1)
Game 6 October 8, 1958, at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Team12345678910RHENew York (A)10000100024101Milwaukee (N)11000000013104W: Ryne Duren (1–1) L: Warren Spahn (2–1) S: Bob Turley (1)HR: NYY – Hank Bauer (4), Gil McDougald (2)
Game 7 October 9, 1958, at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Team123456789RHENew York (A)020000040680Milwaukee (N)100001000252W: Bob Turley (2–1) L: Lew Burdette (1–2)HR: NYY – Bill Skowron (2) MIL – Del Crandall (1)
Awards and honors
1958 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Starters: Hank Aaron, Del Crandall, and Warren Spahn Reserves: Eddie Mathews, Don McMahon
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Cedar Rapids, Yakima, Boise, Midland
Notes
References
Milwaukee Braves team page at Baseball Reference