The 1965 season was a season of change for some teams in Major League
Baseball. The League was still changing and there were teams like the Astros and the Braves that were in transition. The Astros moved into the Astrodome and became the first Major League
Baseball team to play indoors. The Braves were likewise on the verge of transition. They had been playing in Milwaukee for years, but 1965 would be their last year in the city. They would move on to play in Atlanta the following year.
The league featured some of the hall of fame players that we still remember today. Those legendary players were certainly playing at a high level at that time. The National League statistical leaders featured the likes of Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax.
Clemente lead all of Major League Baseball in batting average, putting up a .329 average for the season. Willie Mays was the homerun champion of the NL and all of Major League Baseball. He hammered 52 balls out of the park. His 52 homeruns were 20 more than the leader in the American League.
The pitching category was absolutely dominated by Sandy Koufax. Koufax led all of Major League Baseball in Wins, ERA and Strikeouts. He managed to win 26 games while striking out 382 batters on the season. His ERA was meanwhile just 2.04. He was the Triple Crown Pitching winner by leading in all of those categories.
Those legendary players in the National League did not just put up big numbers, but they were a big part of helping their team’s win games. Those three players that were previously mentioned played for the Dodgers, Giants and Pirates. Those teams finished the 1965 season as the top 3 teams in the National League. Each team would finish the season with more than 90 wins.
The American League was dominated by the likes of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins managed to win 102 games on the season. This total would be the most wins for any team in the league during the season. The Twins were led by the likes of Tony Oliva on offense and Mudcat Grant from the mound.
Tony Oliva led the American League with a .321 batting average. Meanwhile Mudcat Grant won 21 games, the highest total in the American League.
The Chicago White Sox were also an excellent team during the year. They managed to win 95 games and were second in the American League. The only other team in the league to win at least 90 games was the Baltimore Orioles squad. They managed to win 94 games on the season.
The Astros managed to find very little success in their transition year, winning just 65 games. This total was good for the 2nd worst record in the National League that season. The worst record in the National League belonged to the likes of the New York Mets. The Mets managed to win just 50 games throughout the season. This total was the lowest total of any team in all of
Major League Baseball.
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