1964 Kansas City Athletics season
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The 1964 Kansas City Athletics season was the tenth for the franchise in Kansas City and the 64th overall. It involved the A's finishing tenth in the American League with a record of 57 wins, 105 losses and one tie,[1] 42 games behind the American League Champion New York Yankees.
Offseason
- In January Louisville, promising to change the team's name to the "Kentucky Athletics".[2][3] (Other names suggested for the team were the "Kentucky Colonels" and the "Louisville Sluggers.") By another 9–1 vote by the league owners, his request was denied.[4][5][6] Six weeks later, by the same 9–1 margin, the A.L. owners denied Finley's request to move the team to Oakland, where the team would eventually move after the 1967season.
- On February 28, Finley signed a four-year lease to remain in Kansas City.Municipal Stadium but the city would get 5% on admission and 7.5% on concessions. The clause was that if the club could not reach a paid attendance of 575,000 fans, then the club owed nothing.[9]
- In early April, Finley tried to shorten the rather distant fences at the stadium by creating a 296-foot (90 m) Pennant Porch in right field, fronting a tiny bleacher section, to mock the famed short fence in right field at Yankee Stadium, home of the powerful Yankees.[10][11] The move was quickly vetoed by the league,[12] so Finley rebuilt the fence to the bare legal minimum of 325 feet (99 m), and repainted the fence to say "One-Half Pennant Porch".[13][14] Later he tried the ruse of putting a canopy over the little bleacher, which just happened to have an extension that reached out 29 feet (9 m) over the field. The league, not amused by Finley's sense of humor, again ordered him to cease and desist.
Notable transactions
- October 7, 1963: Sammy Esposito was released by the Athletics.[15]
- November 27, 1963: Norm Siebern was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Jim Gentile and $25,000.[16]
- December 2, 1963: John Donaldson was selected by the Athletics from the Minnesota Twins in the rule 5 draft.[17]
Regular season
- The club set a franchise record by hitting 107 home runs during home games, while the A's pitching staff gave up 132 home runs during home games. At the time, it was a major league record.[18]
- Eighteen-year-old free agent Catfish Hunter was not able to pitch in 1964. He was sent to the Mayo Clinic, as surgeons worked on his right foot, which had been injured in a hunting accident the previous autumn. Hunter recovered at Finley's farm in La Porte, Indiana.[19]
- Shortstop Bert Campaneris made his major league debut on July 23 at Minnesota, and hit two home runs off Jim Kaat in the first (first pitch) and seventh innings; joining the team earlier that day, he also singled, walked, and stole a base.[20][21][22][23]
- On September 5, 19-year-old Blue Moon Odom made his major league debut against the visiting New York Yankees. Odom started but lasted just two innings, giving up six earned runs on six hits with two walks and one strikeout. The A's tied the game in the third inning, so he did not get the loss.[24][25]
- On September 17, the A's were away on an eastern road trip and Kansas City" and "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey";[27] a month later, they would record the medley for their fourth studio album, Beatles for Sale.
Season standings
| American League | W
|
L
|
Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 99 | 63 | 0.611 | — | 50–31 | 49–32 |
| Chicago White Sox | 98 | 64 | 0.605 | 1 | 52–29 | 46–35 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 97 | 65 | 0.599 | 2 | 49–32 | 48–33 |
| Detroit Tigers | 85 | 77 | 0.525 | 14 | 46–35 | 39–42 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 82 | 80 | 0.506 | 17 | 45–36 | 37–44 |
| Cleveland Indians | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 20 | 41–40 | 38–43 |
| Minnesota Twins | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 20 | 40–41 | 39–42 |
| Boston Red Sox | 72 | 90 | 0.444 | 27 | 45–36 | 27–54 |
| Washington Senators | 62 | 100 | 0.383 | 37 | 31–50 | 31–50 |
| Kansas City Athletics | 57 | 105 | 0.352 | 42 | 26–55 | 31–50 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KCA | LAA | MIN | NYY | WSH | |||
| Baltimore | — | 11–7 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 13–5–1 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 10–8 | 13–5 | |||
| Boston | 7–11 | — | 4–14 | 9–9 | 5–13 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 5–13 | 9–9 | 12–6 | |||
| Chicago | 8–10 | 14–4 | — | 12–6 | 11–7 | 16–2 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 12–6 | |||
| Cleveland | 10–8 | 9–9 | 6–12 | — | 11–7 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 10–8–1 | 3–15–1 | 11–7 | |||
| Detroit | 7–11 | 13–5 | 7–11 | 7–11 | — | 11–7 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 8–10–1 | 11–7 | |||
| Kansas City | 5–13–1 | 6–12 | 2–16 | 8–10 | 7–11 | — | 6–12 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 8–10 | |||
| Los Angeles | 7–11 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 12–6 | — | 12–6 | 7–11 | 10–8 | |||
| Minnesota | 8–10 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 8–10–1 | 7–11 | 9–9 | 6–12 | — | 8–10 | 11–7 | |||
| New York | 8–10 | 9–9 | 12–6 | 15–3–1 | 10–8–1 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 10–8 | — | 12–6 | |||
| Washington | 5–13 | 6–12 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 6–12 | — | |||
Notable transactions
- June 8, 1964: Catfish Hunter was signed as an amateur free agent by the Athletics.[28]
- June 13, 1964: Joe Rudi was signed as an amateur free agent by the Athletics.[29]
Roster
| 1964 Kansas City Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
|
Outfielders
|
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
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 | Doc Edwards | 97 | 294 | 66 | .224 | 5 | 28 |
| 1B | Jim Gentile | 136 | 439 | 110 | .251 | 28 | 71 |
| 2B | Dick Green | 130 | 435 | 115 | .264 | 11 | 37 |
| 3B | Ed Charles | 150 | 557 | 134 | .241 | 16 | 63 |
| SS | Wayne Causey | 157 | 604 | 170 | .281 | 8 | 49 |
| LF | Manny Jiménez | 95 | 204 | 46 | .225 | 12 | 38 |
| CF | Nelson Mathews | 157 | 573 | 137 | .239 | 14 | 60 |
| RF | Rocky Colavito | 160 | 588 | 161 | .274 | 34 | 102 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bert Campaneris | 67 | 269 | 69 | .257 | 4 | 22 |
| Billy Bryan | 93 | 220 | 53 | .241 | 13 | 36 |
| George Alusik | 102 | 204 | 49 | .240 | 3 | 19 |
| Ken Harrelson | 49 | 139 | 27 | .194 | 7 | 12 |
| Charley Lau | 43 | 118 | 32 | .271 | 2 | 9 |
| José Tartabull | 104 | 100 | 20 | .200 | 0 | 3 |
| Tommie Reynolds | 31 | 94 | 19 | .202 | 2 | 9 |
| George Williams | 37 | 91 | 19 | .209 | 0 | 2 |
| Rick Joseph | 17 | 54 | 12 | .222 | 0 | 1 |
| Dave Duncan | 25 | 53 | 9 | .170 | 1 | 5 |
| Charlie Shoemaker | 16 | 52 | 11 | .212 | 0 | 3 |
| Larry Stahl | 15 | 46 | 12 | .261 | 3 | 6 |
| John Wojcik | 6 | 22 | 3 | .136 | 0 | 0 |
| Gino Cimoli | 4 | 9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Peña | 40 | 219.1 | 12 | 14 | 4.43 | 184 |
| Diego Seguí | 40 | 217.0 | 8 | 17 | 4.56 | 155 |
| John O'Donohue | 39 | 173.2 | 10 | 14 | 4.92 | 79 |
| Bob Meyer | 9 | 42.0 | 1 | 4 | 3.86 | 30 |
| Blue Moon Odom | 5 | 17.0 | 1 | 2 | 10.06 | 10 |
| Lew Krausse Jr. | 5 | 14.2 | 0 | 2 | 7.36 | 9 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Moe Drabowski |
53 | 168.1 | 5 | 13 | 5.29 | 119 |
| Ted Bowsfield | 50 | 118.2 | 4 | 7 | 4.10 | 45 |
| José Santiago | 34 | 83.2 | 0 | 6 | 4.73 | 64 |
| Aurelio Monteagudo | 11 | 31.1 | 0 | 4 | 8.90 | 14 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Wyatt | 81 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 3.59 | 74 |
| Wes Stock | 50 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1.94 | 101 |
| Ken Sanders | 21 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3.67 | 18 |
| Joe Grzenda | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5.40 | 17 |
| Dan Pfister | 19 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6.53 | 21 |
| Vern Handrahan | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.06 | 18 |
| Jack Aker | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8.82 | 7 |
| Tom Sturdivant | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.82 | 1 |
Farm system
- The A's scouts had signed 80 prospects for $650,000, at the time, the most money spent on prospects in one year.[23]
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Dallas Rangers | Pacific Coast League | John McNamara |
| AA | Birmingham Barons | Southern League
|
Haywood Sullivan |
A
|
Daytona Beach Islanders | Florida State League | Lew Krausse, Sr.
|
A
|
Burlington Bees | Midwest League | Bill Robertson |
A
|
Lewiston Broncos
|
Northwest League | Bobby Hofman |
Rookie
|
Wytheville A's
|
Appalachian League | Gus Niarhos |
References
- ^ "Here are the stories behind seven of the wildest tie games in Major League history". MLB.com. December 1, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "Louisville and Finley sign two-year conditional pact". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. January 7, 1964. p. 12.
- ^ "Finley Signs Contract to Transfer Athletics to Louisville". New York Times. January 6, 1964. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ Reichler, Joe (January 17, 1964). "Finley must remain in K.C. or possibly lose his club". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. p. 11.
- ^ "Finley is ready for court fight". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. January 18, 1964. p. 8.
- ^ John Drebinger (January 18, 1964). "Finley Will Open in Kansas City, But Promises Court Action Soon". New York Times.
- ^ "Finley loves us, for a while". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. February 29, 1964. p. 7.
- ^ "A's owner signs pact with city". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. February 29, 1964. p. 12.
- ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
- ^ Van Valkenburg, Jim (April 10, 1964). "Finley's Pennant Porch set". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. p. 11.
- ^ "Finley building Yankee-style 'Pennant Porch' in A's park". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. April 10, 1964. p. 14.
- ^ "Finley says he'll defy edict to dismantle 'Yankee' fence". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. April 12, 1964. p. 11.
- ^ Van Valkenburg, Jim (April 14, 1964). "Finley now has Half-Porch and will continue a fight". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. p. 11.
- ^ Rathet, Mike (April 22, 1964). "Pennant Porch no answer to Kansas Dity's problem". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. p. 15.
- ^ Sammy Esposito page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Norm Siebern page at Baseball Reference
- ^ John Donaldson page at Baseball Reference
- ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
- ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
- ^ "Campaneris slams two HR's in first major league game". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. July 24, 1964. p. 5B.
- ^ "A's rookie Campaneris is hero in first appearance". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. July 24, 1964. p. 10.
- ^ "Athletics' rookie has terrific start". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. July 24, 1964. p. 20.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
- ^ "Pepitone powers Yanks". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. September 6, 1964. p. 1C.
- ^ Blue Moon Odom page at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Beatles look like worms in lighted box Thursday". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. September 18, 1964. p. 5.
- ^ Finley, Nancy. Finley Ball: How Two Outsiders Turned the Oakland A's into a Dynasty and Changed the Game Forever. Washington, DC: Salem Media Group, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ Catfish Hunter page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Joe Rudi page at Baseball Reference