1963 Milwaukee Braves season

{{Infobox baseball team season

| name = Milwaukee Braves

| season = 1963

| misc =

| league = National League

| ballpark = Milwaukee County Stadium

| city = Milwaukee, Wisconsin

| record = {{winning percentage|84|78|record=y}}

| league_place = 6th

| owners = William Bartholomay
(chairman)

| general_managers = John McHale

| managers = Bobby Bragan

| television = WTMJ-TV
(Mike Walden, Blaine Walsh)

| radio = WEMP
(Earl Gillespie, Tom Collins)

|}}

The 1963 Milwaukee Braves season was the 11th in Milwaukee and the 93rd overall season of the franchise.

The sixth-place Braves finished the season with an {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|84|78|record=y}}}} record, fifteen games behind the National League and World Series champion {{nowrap|Los Angeles Dodgers.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z4VRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wRAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2101%2C3398915 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=Baseball in a nutshell |agency=(final standings) |date=September 30, 1963 |page=4, part 2}}}} The season's home attendance was {{nowrap|773,018,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z4VRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wRAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5214%2C3386815 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |last=Thisted |first=Red |title=Spahn spices finale, 2-0 |date=September 30, 1963 |page=2, part 2}}}} ninth in the ten-team National League.

Offseason

October 11, 1962: Ron Hunt was purchased from the Braves by the New York Mets.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/huntro01.shtml|title=Ron Hunt Stats|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
November 26, 1962: Ellis Burton was drafted from the Braves by the Houston Colt .45s in the 1962 rule 5 draft.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/burtoel01.shtml|title=Ellis Burton Stats|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
November 26, 1962: 1962 first-year draft
Hal Haydel was drafted from the Braves by the Houston Colt .45s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/haydeha01.shtml|title=Hal Haydel Stats|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
Don Taussig was drafted by the Braves from the Houston Colt .45s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/taussdo01.shtml|title=Don Taussig Stats|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
November 30, 1962: Jim Bolger, Don Nottebart, and Connie Grob were traded by the Braves to the Houston Colt .45s for Norm Larker.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/larkeno01.shtml|title=Norm Larker Stats|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
Prior to 1963 season: Lou Klimchock was acquired from the Braves by the Washington Senators.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/klimclo01.shtml|title=Lou Klimchock Stats|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

Ownership change and managerial turnover

On November 16, 1962, the 17-year tenure of Louis Perini as owner of the Braves ended when the Boston construction magnate sold the team to a Chicago-based group of investors led by {{nowrap|William Bartholomay.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=wZJMF1LD7PcC&dat=19621117&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=McHale, six others buy Braves for $5.5 million |last=Thisted |first=Red |date=November 17, 1962 |page=1, part 1}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WDMoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8CYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5196%2C4113423 |work=Milwaukee Journal |last=Wolf |first=Bob |title=Midwestern group purchases Braves |date=November 17, 1962 |page=1, part 1}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Iz8NAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YWwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1929%2C2561254 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Perini sells Braves to Milwaukee group |date=November 17, 1962 |page=11}}}} The Braves' home attendance had been declining since its 1957 high-water mark of over 2.2 million fans to 767,000 in five short years, due to a drop-off in on-field success since its last postseason appearance (the 1959 NL playoff) and a ban on "bringing your own" food and beer to County Stadium. Within two years of buying the Braves, the Bartholomay group would be negotiating with Atlanta, in a successful bid to move the club to the Southeast as early as 1965.

The change in owners overshadowed the Braves' continued turbulence in the managerial chair. On October 5, 1962, Birdie Tebbetts, in office for only 13 months, resigned to join the {{nowrap|Cleveland Indians}} in the {{nowrap|American League.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IFAaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JBEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6748%2C1459045 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |last=Larson |first=Lloyd |title=Tebbetts quits Braves! |date=October 6, 1962 |page=1, part 1}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=V98jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NicEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6978%2C2322017 |work=Milwaukee Journal |last=Wolf |first=Bob |title=Braves suddenly have some room at the top in wake of Tebbetts' abrupt disappearing act |date=October 6, 1962 |page=14}}}} His successor, Bobby Bragan, 45, was the team's fourth manager in {{nowrap|five seasons.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bXdQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KBEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7294%2C620263 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |last=Thisted |first=Red |title=Bragan new Braves' manager |date=October 18, 1963 |page=2, part 2}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n98jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LCcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4293%2C4350358 |work=Milwaukee Journal |last=Walfoort |first=Cleon |title=Bragan learned along way in baseball |date=October 18, 1963 |page=17, part 2}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=V7RWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5ugDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6922%2C938622 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Bragan will pilot Braves |date=October 18, 1962 |page=16}}}} He had been a coach with the expansion {{nowrap|Houston Colt .45s}} in 1962 and had previously been fired from managing posts with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1956–1957) and the Indians (1958).

In a 1976 memoir, longtime Dodger executive Harold Parrott would claim that the Braves' hiring of Bragan after the 1962 season was orchestrated by Branch Rickey to thwart a plan by Dodger owner Walter O'Malley to replace his manager, eventual Hall of Famer Walter Alston, with Leo Durocher. O'Malley was strongly considering firing Alston, but only if he could find a suitable "soft landing spot" for him. He chose the Braves, looking to replace Tebbetts, as Alston's ideal destination. But, according to Parrott, Rickey—in semi-retirement but still O'Malley's bitter enemy—discovered the scheme and brokered the marriage between Bragan and the Braves' ownership before O'Malley's plan could materialize.{{cite book|last=Parrott|first=Harold|title=The Lords of Baseball|year=1976|publisher=Praeger Books|isbn=0275225704|pages=38–39|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NKEKAAAACAAJ}} Bragan served as the Braves' last manager in Milwaukee in 1965, and their first in Atlanta in 1966, although he was fired on August 9 of {{nowrap|that year,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QItRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tRAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7338%2C1657306 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=UPI |title=Hitchcock plans changes |date=August 10, 1966 |page=2, part 2}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eNsjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1ycEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7099%2C4543325 |work=Milwaukee Journal |last=Wolf |first=Bob |title='Impulsive' best describes brash Bobby; orange drink costs him $100 and job |date=August 10, 1966 |page=2, part 21}}}} after guiding the team to an overall record of {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|310|287|record=y}}}} in over {{frac|3|1|2}} seasons.

Regular season

April 16, 1963: Eddie Mathews hit the 400th home run of his career.{{Cite web|url=https://thisdayinbaseball.com/|title=This Day In Baseball - Where Your Memories Live|website=This Day In Baseball}} Along with Duke Snider, Mathews became part of the first duo to reach the 400 plateau in the same season.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/snidedu01.php|title=Duke Snider | The BASEBALL Page|date=March 4, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304170320/http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/snidedu01.php|archive-date=March 4, 2006}}

= Season standings =

= Record vs. opponents =

= Notable transactions =

May 6, 1963: Lou Klimchock was returned to the Braves by the Washington Senators.
May 8, 1963: Lou Johnson and cash were traded by the Braves to the Detroit Tigers for Chico Fernández.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fernach01.shtml|title=Chico Fernandez Stats|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
May 8, 1963: Chico Fernández was traded by the Braves to the New York Mets for Larry Foss.
August 8, 1963: Norm Larker was purchased from the Braves by the San Francisco Giants.

= Roster =

class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;"
colspan="10" style="background-color: #0f437c; color: white; text-align: center;" \| 1963 Milwaukee Braves
colspan="10" style="background-color: #af0039; color: white; text-align: center;" \| Roster
valign="top" \| Pitchers {{MLBplayer\|22\|Wade Blasingame}} {{MLBplayer\|33\|Lew Burdette}} {{MLBplayer\|40\|Tony Cloninger}} {{MLBplayer\|34\|Hank Fischer}} {{MLBplayer\|32\|Frank Funk}} {{MLBplayer\|36\|Bob Hendley}} {{MLBplayer\|23\|Denny Lemaster}} {{MLBplayer\|38\|Ron Piché}} {{MLBplayer\|35\|Claude Raymond}} {{MLBplayer\|37\|Bob Sadowski}} {{MLBplayer\|25\|Dan Schneider}} {{MLBplayer\|26\|Bob Shaw}} {{MLBplayer\|21\|Warren Spahn}} {{MLBplayer\|18\|Bobby Tiefenauer}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Catchers {{MLBplayer\| 1\|Del Crandall}} {{MLBplayer\|15\|Joe Torre}} {{MLBplayer\| 8\|Bob Uecker}} Infielders {{MLBplayer\|28\|Tommie Aaron}} {{MLBplayer\| 2\|Frank Bolling}} {{MLBplayer\|16\|Lou Klimchock}} {{MLBplayer\| 9\|Norm Larker}} {{MLBplayer\|41\|Eddie Mathews}} {{MLBplayer\|11\|Roy McMillan}} {{MLBplayer\|19\|Denis Menke}} {{MLBplayer\|12\|Gene Oliver}} {{MLBplayer\|27\|Amado Samuel}} {{MLBplayer\|14\|Woody Woodward}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Outfielders {{MLBplayer\|44\|Hank Aaron}} {{MLBplayer\|31\|Ty Cline}} {{MLBplayer\|42\|Don Dillard}} {{MLBplayer\|43\|Len Gabrielson}} {{MLBplayer\|30\|Mack Jones}} {{MLBplayer\|24\|Lee Maye}} {{MLBplayer\|31\|Bubba Morton}} {{MLBplayer\|29\|Hawk Taylor}} Other batters {{MLBplayer\|20\|Gus Bell}} {{MLBplayer\| 7\|Rico Carty}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Manager {{MLBplayer\|10\|Bobby Bragan}} Coaches {{MLBplayer\| 3\|Ken Silvestri}} {{MLBplayer\| 6\|Dixie Walker}} {{MLBplayer\| 4\|Jo-Jo White}} {{MLBplayer\| 5\|Whit Wyatt}}

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

colspan="10" style="background-color: #0f437c; color: white; text-align: center;" | 1963 Milwaukee Braves

colspan="10" style="background-color: #af0039; color: white; 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

= 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

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="5%" \| Pos ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| AB ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| H ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| Avg. ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| HR ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| RBI
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| C	{{sortname\|Joe\|Torre}}	142	501	147	.293	14	71
align="center" \| 1B	{{sortname\|Gene\|Oliver}}	95	296	74	.250	11	47
align="center" \| 2B	{{sortname\|Frank\|Bolling}}	142	542	132	.244	5	43
align="center" \| SS	{{sortname\|Roy\|McMillan}}	100	320	80	.250	4	29
align="center" \| 3B	{{sortname\|Eddie\|Mathews}}	158	547	144	.263	23	84
align="center" \| LF	{{sortname\|Don\|Dillard}}	67	119	28	.235	1	12
align="center" \| CF	{{sortname\|Lee\|Maye}}	124	442	120	.271	11	34
align="center" \| RF	{{sortname\|Hank\|Aaron}}	161	631	201	.319	44	130

== Other batters ==

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

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| AB ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| H ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| Avg. ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| HR ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| RBI
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Denis\|Menke}}	146	518	121	.234	11	50
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Del\|Crandall}}	86	259	52	.201	3	28
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Mack\|Jones}}	93	228	50	.219	3	22
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Ty\|Cline}}	72	174	41	.236	0	10
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Norm\|Larker}}	64	147	26	.177	1	14
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Tommie\|Aaron}}	72	135	27	.200	1	15
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Len\|Gabrielson\|Len Gabrielson (outfielder)}}	46	120	26	.217	3	15
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Lou\|Klimchock}}	24	46	9	.196	0	1
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Hawk\|Taylor}}	16	29	2	.069	0	0
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bubba\|Morton}}	15	28	5	.179	0	4
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Amado\|Samuel}}	15	17	3	.176	0	0
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bob\|Uecker}}	13	16	4	.250	0	0
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Gus\|Bell}}	3	3	1	.333	0	0
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Woody\|Woodward}}	10	2	0	.000	0	0
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Rico\|Carty}}	2	2	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\|Warren\|Spahn}}	33	259.2	23	7	2.60	102
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Denny\|Lemaster}}	46	237.0	11	14	3.04	190
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bob\|Sadowski\|Bob Sadowski (pitcher)}}	19	116.2	5	7	2.62	72
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Lew\|Burdette}}	15	84.0	6	5	3.64	28
align="center"

== 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\|Bob\|Hendley}}	41	169.1	9	9	3.93	105
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bob\|Shaw\|Bob Shaw (baseball)}}	48	159.0	7	11	2.66	105
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Tony\|Cloninger}}	41	145.1	9	11	3.78	100
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Hank\|Fischer}}	31	74.1	4	3	4.96	72
align="center"

== 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\|Claude\|Raymond\|Claude Raymond (baseball)}}	45	4	6	5	5.40	44
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Ron\|Piché}}	37	1	1	0	3.40	40
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Dan\|Schneider\|Dan Schneider (baseball)}}	30	1	0	0	3.09	19
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Frank\|Funk\|Frank Funk (baseball)}}	25	3	3	0	2.68	19
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bobby\|Tiefenauer}}	12	1	1	2	1.21	22
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Wade\|Blasingame}}	2	0	0	0	12.00	6

Awards and honors

All-Star Game

Hank Aaron, outfield, starter
Warren Spahn, reserve
Joe Torre, reserve{{Cite web|url=https://baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1963as.shtml|title=1963 All-Star Game|website=baseball-almanac.com}}

Farm system

{{MLB Farm System|level14=AAA|team14=Toronto Maple Leafs|league14=International League|manager14=Bill Adair

|level15=AAA|team15=Denver Bears|league15=Pacific Coast League|manager15=Jack Tighe

|level16=AA |team16=Austin Senators|league16=Texas League|manager16=Jimmy Brown

|level17=A |team17=Waycross Braves|league17=Georgia–Florida League|manager17=Bill Steinecke

|level18=A |team18=Yakima Bears|league18=Northwest League|manager18=Buddy Hicks

|level19=A |team19=Boise Braves|league19=Pioneer League|manager19=Billy Smith

|level20=A|team20=Greenville Braves|league20=Western Carolinas League|manager20=Jim Fanning and Paul Snyder}}LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Yakima, Greenville

Notes

References

{{Cite book| editor1-last=Johnson| editor1-first=Lloyd| editor2-last=Wolff| editor2-first=Miles| title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball| edition=2nd| location=Durham, North Carolina| publisher=Baseball America| year=1997| isbn=978-0-9637189-8-3}}
[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MLN/1963.shtml 1963 Milwaukee Braves season at Baseball Reference]

Category:Milwaukee Braves seasons

Milwaukee Braves season

Milwauk