1961 LOS ANGELES ANGELS

70-91 8th
MGR Bill Rigney (#18)

DP: 311 to 334 Error: 351 to 361

BA SB W/K HR T D L R RNG Def.
Steve Bilko #20 .279 1 PW PK 133 134 154 251 246 SLO LD(OF) 1B86, PH, R R
OF3(RF)
Ken Aspromonte #11 + .223 0 112 - 125 231 226 AR 2B62 R R
Joe Koppe #1 X .251 3 PK 113 114 126 241 236 AR SS88, 2B3, 3B1 R R
Eddie Yost #10 .202 0 PW 113 - 121 224 221 AR 3B67, PH R R
Albie Pearson #28 .288 11 PW 114 116 135 245 253 AAR OF113(RF/CF), PH L L
Ken Hunt #26 .255 8 PK 125 126 151 241 241 AR LD(OF) OF134(CF/RF/LF), R R
PH, 2B1
Leon Wagner #27 .280 5 131 132 145 245 251 AAR T-1 OF116(LF/RF), PH L R
Earl Averill #8 .266 1 PW PK 132 - 142 245 243 SLO C88, OF9(LF), 2B1 R R
Lee Thomas #32 X .284 0 126 132 141 245 252 AR T-1 OF86(RF/LF), L R
1B34, PH
George Thomas #4 X .280 3 PK 124 125 142 252 246 AR LD(3B) OF45(LF/CF/RF), R R
3B38
Ted Kluszewski “Big Klu” #15 .243 0 126 - 144 233 235 SLO LD 1B66, PH L L
“Rocky” Bridges #21 Everett .240 1 112 113 122 241 233 AR 2B58, SS25, 3B4 R R
Gene Leek #14 .226 0 MW PK 115 116 134 234 226 AR LD 3B49, SS7, R R
OF1(LF)
Billy Moran #12 .260 0 112 113 126 243 242 AR 2B51, SS2 R R
Ed Sadowski #6 .232 2 115 - 144 232 232 AR C56, PH, PR R R
Tom Satriano “Satch” #29 .198 2 112 114 133 216 221 AR LD 3B23, 2B10, SS1 L R
Del Rice #9 .241 0 PW PK 124 - 142 234 234 SLO C30, PH R R
Ken Hamlin #12 .209 0 112 - 123 224 223 AAR SS39, PR R R
Bob Cerv #30 + .158 0 MW 122 - 141 165 164 AR OF15(LF) R R
Bob Rodgers “Buck” #7 .321 0 MW 122 - 134 265 263 AR C14 B R
Fritz Brickell #16 .122 0 - - - 154 152 AR SS17, PH R R
Jim Fregosi #17 .222 0 MW - - - 226 226 AAR SS11 R R
Eli Grba .234 0 PK 121 - 135 234 232 SLO P40 R R
Ted Bowsfield .137 0 MW PK - 114 122 162 155 SLO P41 R L
Ron Moeller .207 0 PW PK - - 121 222 223 SLO P33 L L
Jim Donohue X .148 0 MW PK - - 122 162 162 SLO P38 R R
Jerry Casale + .462 0 PK 135 - 232 354 354 SLO P13 R R
Pitcher R .110 - MW PK 111 - 113 153 145 SLO
Pitcher L .110 - MW PK 111 - 113 145 146 SLO

ERA IP W K G GS SV
Ken McBride #37 3.65 242 141 562 38 36 1 .084 R R
Eli Grba #33 4.25 212 145 624 40 30 2 .234 R R (last name pronounced GER-bah)
Ted Bowsfield #43 3.73 157 136 621 41 21 0 .137 R L
Ron Moeller #39 5.83 113 156 562 33 18 0 .207 L L “The Kid”
Jerry Casale #40 #41 + 6.54 43 146 561 13 7 1 .462 R R (last name pronounced kuh-SAH-lee)
Dean Chance #31 6.87 18 125 624 5 4 0 .000 R R
Ron Kline #41 + 4.90 105 136 612 26 12 1 .097 R R
Jim Donohue #40 X 4.31 100 144 556 38 7 5 .148 R R
Ryne Duren #30 X 5.18 99 162 526 40 14 2 .040 R R
Tom Morgan #47 2.36 92 123 631 59 0 10 .083 R R “Plowboy”
Art Fowler #24 3.64 89 133 545 53 3 11 .077 R R
Johnny James #22 X 5.30 71 162 615 36 3 0 .000 L R
Jack Spring #41 4.26 38 136 564 18 4 0 .000 R L
Ned Garver #31 5.59 29 144 644 12 2 0 .000 R R
Tex Clevenger #32 SD + 1.69 16 164 564 12 0 1 .000 R R Truman Eugene

When the American League expanded for the first time in 1961, the plan was to place a major league competitor in the backyard of the Dodgers and to soak up hordes of new customers out of the rapidly growing Los
Angeles metro-area. “Singing Cowboy”/entertainer/movie star, Gene Autry, was delivered the ownership of the new franchise which borrowed its name “Angels” from the old Los Angeles Pacific Coast League ballclub.
Former New York Giant Bill Rigney was installed as manager and welcomed his new charges to Spring Training after a player draft with their expansion cousins, the new Washington Senators. The draft consisted
primarily of over-the-hill, marginal, and unwanted ballplayers. The Angels went for power. Five players hit 20 or more home runs led by twenty-seven-year-old Leon “Daddy Wags” Wagner (28). Lee Thomas (24 HR) was
the team leader in base hits (128) while Ken Hunt blasted 25 jacks and racked-up 84 RBI. Wagner had 79 RBI, Thomas 70. The speedy Albie Pearson walked 96 times and logged the most runs scored (92). L. A. was ninth
in league batting (.245) and second in homers (189)…Eli Grba (the team’s first draft pick) and Ted Bowsfield both 11 ballgames. Ken McBride’s 12 wins topped the pitching staff as well as his 180 strikeouts and 11 complete
games. The staff ERA (4.31) was ninth in the A. L…The Angels played their first season at Wrigley Field, the PCL Angels’ ballpark owned by the Cubs’ Phillip Wrigley family. It did not resemble the ballpark on Chicago’s
North Side…Ted Kluszewski hit two homers and Eli Grba pitched a complete game in the Angels first contest, a 7-2 victory, in Baltimore…Two youngsters with promising futures, Dean Chance, 20, and Jim Fregosi, 19,
debuted with the Angels September 11th and 14th, respectively. Chance pitched 7.3 innings giving up ten hits and three runs as pitcher-of-record in a loss to Minnesota; Fregosi went zero for three, also against the Twins.