1961 San Francisco Giants season

{{Infobox baseball team season

| name = San Francisco Giants

| season = 1961

| misc =

| image =

| league = National League

| ballpark = Candlestick Park

| city = San Francisco

| owners = Horace Stoneham

| general_managers = Chub Feeney

| managers = Alvin Dark

| television = KTVU
(Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons)

| radio = KSFO
(Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons, Bill King)

|}}

The 1961 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 79th year in Major League Baseball, their fourth season in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their second season at Candlestick Park. The team finished in third place in the National League with an 85 wins and 69 losses record, eight games behind the NL Champion Cincinnati Reds. The Giants were managed by Alvin Dark. As of 2021, this remains the only Giants season in franchise history in which two players (Orlando Cepeda and Willie Mays) each hit 40 or more home runs.{{cite web |url=https://stathead.com/tiny/vWiZL |title=Player Batting Season & Career Finder: For Single Seasons, In the Regular Season, since 1871, Playing for SFG, requiring Home Runs >= 40, sorted by most instances. |website=Stathead Baseball |access-date=August 29, 2021}}

Regular season

Willie Mays had both a three home run game (on June 29) and a four home run game (on April 30)Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 258, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, {{ISBN|978-0-451-22363-0}} during the 1961 season. Mays became the ninth player, and first Giant, in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game.

= Season standings =

= Record vs. opponents =

= Opening Day starters =

Felipe Alou
Ed Bressoud
Orlando Cepeda
Tom Haller
Chuck Hiller
Sam Jones
Harvey Kuenn
Willie Mays
Willie McCovey{{Cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1961&t=SFN|title = 1961 San Francisco Giants Roster by Baseball Almanac}}

= Roster =

class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;"
colspan="10" style="background-color: black; color: #FFFDD0; text-align: center;" \| 1961 San Francisco Giants
colspan="10" style="background-color: #fd5a1e; color: #FFFDD0; text-align: center;" \| Roster
valign="top" \| Pitchers {{MLBplayer\|42\|Bob Bolin}} {{MLBplayer\|45\|Jim Duffalo}} {{MLBplayer\|39\|Eddie Fisher}} {{MLBplayer\|19\|Sam Jones}} {{MLBplayer\|39\|Dick LeMay}} {{MLBplayer\|28\|Billy Loes}} {{MLBplayer\|27\|Juan Marichal}} {{MLBplayer\|40\|Mike McCormick}} {{MLBplayer\|37\|Stu Miller}} {{MLBplayer\|31\|Billy O'Dell}} {{MLBplayer\|33\|Jack Sanford}} {{MLBplayer\|36\|Dom Zanni}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Catchers {{MLBplayer\| 6\|Ed Bailey}} {{MLBplayer\|51\|Tom Haller}} {{MLBplayer\| 5\|Hobie Landrith}} {{MLBplayer\|34\|John Orsino}} {{MLBplayer\| 9\|Bob Schmidt}} Infielders {{MLBplayer\|14\|Joey Amalfitano}} {{MLBplayer\|21\|Ernie Bowman}} {{MLBplayer\|16\|Ed Bressoud}} {{MLBplayer\|30\|Orlando Cepeda}} {{MLBplayer\|12\|Jim Davenport}} {{MLBplayer\|26\|Chuck Hiller}} {{MLBplayer\|25\|Jim Marshall}} {{MLBplayer\|44\|Willie McCovey}} {{MLBplayer\|15\|José Pagán}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Outfielders {{MLBplayer\|23\|Felipe Alou}} {{MLBplayer\|41\|Matty Alou}} {{MLBplayer\|18\|Bob Farley}} {{MLBplayer\| 7\|Harvey Kuenn}} {{MLBplayer\|24\|Willie Mays}} Other batters {{MLBplayer\|10\|Don Blasingame}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Manager {{MLBplayer\| 1\|Alvin Dark}} Coaches {{MLBplayer\|46\|Larry Jansen}} {{MLBplayer\|6,3\|Whitey Lockman}} {{MLBplayer\| 2\|Salty Parker}} {{MLBplayer\|3,9\|Wes Westrum}}

class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;"

colspan="10" style="background-color: black; color: #FFFDD0; text-align: center;" | 1961 San Francisco Giants

colspan="10" style="background-color: #fd5a1e; color: #FFFDD0; text-align: center;" | Roster

valign="top" | Pitchers

| width="25px" |

| valign="top" | Catchers

Infielders

| width="25px" |

| valign="top" | Outfielders

Other batters

| width="25px" |

| valign="top" | Manager

Coaches

Player stats

style="background:#fc0; border:1px solid #aaa; width:2em;"|

| = Indicates team leader

style="background:#DDFFDD; border:1px solid #aaa; width:2em;"|

| = 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

style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="5%" \| Pos. ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="16%" \| Player ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| G ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| AB ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| H ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| R ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| Avg. ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| HR ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| RBI
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| C	{{sortname\|Ed\|Bailey}}	107	340	81	39	.238	13	51
align="center" \| 1B	{{sortname\|Willie\|McCovey}}	106	328	89	59	.271	18	50
align="center" \| 2B	{{sortname\|Joey\|Amalfitano}}	109	384	98	64	.255	2	23
align="center" \| SS	{{sortname\|José\|Pagán}}	134	434	110	38	.253	5	46
align="center" \| 3B	{{sortname\|Jim\|Davenport}}	137	436	121	64	.278	12	65
align="center" \| LF	{{sortname\|Harvey\|Kuenn}}	131	471	125	60	.265	5	46
align="center" \| CF	{{sortname\|Willie\|Mays}}	style="background:#fc0;\| 154	572	176	style="background:#DDFFDD;\| 129	.308	40	123
align="center" \| RF	{{sortname\|Felipe\|Alou}}	132	415	120	59	.289	18	52

== Other batters ==

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="16%" \| Player ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| G ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| AB ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| H ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| Avg. ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| HR ! style="background:black;color:#f47937;" width="9%" \| RBI
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Orlando\|Cepeda}}	152	style="background:#fc0;\| 585	style="background:#fc0;\| 182	style="background:#fc0;\|.311	style="background:#DDFFDD;\| 46	style="background:#DDFFDD;\| 142
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Chuck\|Hiller}}	70	240	57	.238	2	12
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Matty\|Alou}}	81	200	62	.310	6	24
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Ed\|Bressoud}}	59	114	24	.211	3	11
align="center" \| {{sortname\|John\|Orsino}}	25	83	23	.277	4	12
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Hobie\|Landrith}}	43	71	17	.239	2	10
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Tom\|Haller}}	30	62	9	.145	2	8
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Ernie\|Bowman}}	38	38	8	.211	0	2
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Jim\|Marshall\|Jim Marshall (baseball)}}	44	36	8	.222	1	7
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bob\|Farley}}	13	20	2	.100	0	1
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bob\|Schmidt\|Bob Schmidt (baseball)}}	2	6	1	.167	0	1
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Don\|Blasingame}}	3	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

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| IP ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| W ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| L ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| ERA ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| SO
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Mike\|McCormick\|Mike McCormick (pitcher)}}	40	250.0	13	16	3.20	163
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Jack\|Sanford}}	38	217.1	13	9	4.22	112
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Juan\|Marichal}}	29	185.0	13	10	3.89	124

== Other pitchers ==

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| IP ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| W ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| L ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| ERA ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| SO
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Billy\|O'Dell}}	46	130.1	7	5	3.59	110
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Sam\|Jones\|Sam Jones (baseball)}}	37	128.1	8	8	4.49	105
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Billy\|Loes}}	26	114.2	6	5	4.24	55
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Dick\|LeMay}}	27	83.1	3	6	3.56	54

== Relief pitchers ==

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| W ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| L ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| SV ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| ERA ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| SO
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Stu\|Miller}}	63	14	5	17	2.66	89
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bobby\|Bolin}}	37	2	2	5	3.19	48
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Jim\|Duffalo}}	24	5	1	1	4.23	37
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Eddie\|Fisher\|Eddie Fisher (baseball)}}	15	0	2	1	5.35	16
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Dom\|Zanni}}	8	1	0	0	3.95	11

Awards and honors

All-Star Game (first game)

All-Star Game (second game)

Farm system

{{MLB Farm System|level11=AAA|team11=Tacoma Giants|league11=Pacific Coast League|manager11=Red Davis

|level12=AA |team12=Rio Grande Valley/Victoria Giants|league12=Texas League|manager12=Ray Murray

|level13=A||team13=Springfield Giants|league13=Eastern League|manager13=Andy Gilbert

|level14=B|team14=Eugene Emeralds|league14=Northwest League|manager14=Richie Klaus

|level15=C|team15=Fresno Giants|league15=California League|manager15=Sal Taormina

|level16=C|team16=Pocatello Bannocks|league16=Pioneer League|manager16=Bert Thiel

|level17=D|team17=Salem Rebels|league17=Appalachian League|manager17=Jodie Phipps

|level18=D|team18=Quincy Giants|league18=Midwest League|manager18=Buddy Kerr

|level19=D|team19=El Paso Sun Kings|league19=Sophomore League|manager19=George Genovese

|level20=D|team20=Belmont Chiefs|league20=Western Carolinas League|manager20=Jim Poole, Whitey Ries
and Max Lanier

}}

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Tacoma, Springfield, Quincy

Rio Grande Valley club moved to Victoria, June 10, 1961; Pocatello affiliation shared with Kansas City AthleticsJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

Notes

References

[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/1961.shtml 1961 San Francisco Giants] at Baseball Reference
[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1961&t=SFN 1961 San Francisco Giants] at Baseball Almanac

Category:San Francisco Giants seasons

San Francisco Giants season

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