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The 1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 26th edition of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues composing Major League Baseball.
For the first time in professional baseball history, there were two separate All-Star Games played. The first, the 26th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was played on July 7, hosted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the National League winning, 5–1.
The Braves were a 5–8 betting favorite in Las Vegas on September 25 to win the pennant while the Dodgers had 6–5 odds. [38] The World Series odds were evenly split, with 11–10 odds available at that time for either the Chicago White Sox (the American League champion) or the eventual NL pennant winner. [38]
August 3 – At the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the American League defeats the National League 5–3 in the second All-Star Game of 1959. The Junior Circuit is powered by home runs from Frank Malzone, Yogi Berra and Rocky Colavito, while Frank Robinson and Jim Gilliam homer for the Nationals. The winning pitcher is 20-year-old Jerry Walker.
The Indians could get no closer than 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 games, and when the White Sox beat Cleveland 4–2 on September 22, they clinched the pennant with three games to play. The White Sox were only the second team besides the Yankees to win the A.L. pennant between 1949 and 1964 inclusive; the other was the 1954 Indians, also managed by Al López.
1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game may refer to: The 1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (first game), a 5–4 victory for the National League over the American League, which was played in Pittsburgh. The 1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game), a 5–3 victory for the American League over the National League, which ...
After the pennant-clinching victory, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, a lifelong White Sox fan, ordered his fire chief to set off the city's air raid sirens. Many Chicagoans became fearful and confused since 1959 was the height of the Cold War; however, they relaxed somewhat upon realizing it was part of the White Sox' celebration. [4]
[3] [4] This was the second of two All-Star Games played in 1959, the first was on Tuesday, July 7, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also an NL city. [5] [6] The first Midsummer Classic held on the West Coast, [2] it was also the first of only two All-Star Games not played in July; the other was in 1981 following a lengthy players' strike.