1956 Milwaukee Braves season

1956 Milwaukee Braves
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record 92–62 (.597)
League place 2nd
Other information
Owner(s) Louis R. Perini
General manager(s) John J. Quinn
Manager(s) Charlie Grimm 24–22 (.522)
Fred Haney      68–40 (.630)
Local television none
Local radio WEMP
WTMJ
(Earl Gillespie, Blaine Walsh)
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The 1956 Milwaukee Braves season was the fourth in Milwaukee and the 86th overall season of the franchise. The Braves finished in second place in the National League, just one game behind the Brooklyn Dodgers in the league standings, and one game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds.[1] All three teams posted wins on the final day of the season; the Braves had entered the final three games with a game advantage, but dropped the first two at St. Louis while the Dodgers swept the Pirates.

The Braves' led the major leagues in home attendance with 2,046,331; next closest was the New York Yankees of the American League at under 1.5 million. The runner-up in NL attendance was champion Brooklyn at under 1.22 million.[2] The Braves averaged 30,093 for the 68 home dates.[3]

Regular season

Season summary

Under opening day manager Charlie Grimm, the Braves got off to a mediocre start at 24–22 (.522). After a loss on Saturday, June 16, the owners dismissed him and replaced him with Fred Haney,[4][5] who led the Braves to a 68–40 (.630) record for the rest of the season. Finishing at 92–62 (.597), the Braves nearly caught up with the Dodgers, who finished a game ahead at 93–61 (.604). Haney managed the Braves to the World Series in 1957 and 1958, and then to a tie atop the National League standings in 1959, tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In individual performance statistics, outfielder Hank Aaron led the league in hits with 200, in batting average at .328, and in doubles with 34. His 106 runs scored led the Braves. First baseman Joe Adcock led the Braves with 38 home runs and 103 runs batted in. The Braves' other hitting star was their third baseman, Eddie Mathews, who played in 151 games, hit 37 home runs, scored 103 runs, and batted in 95 runs.

The pitching leaders for the Braves were their "big three" starting pitchers (listed with their won-loss records): Warren Spahn (20–11 (.645)), Lew Burdette (19–10 (.655)), and Bob Buhl (18–8 (.692)). Spahn also recorded three saves among the four games in which he was used as a relief pitcher.

Outfielder Bobby Thomson also had his best season, out of three, with the Braves, with 142 games played, 20 home runs, and 74 runs batted in, but just a .235 batting average. Then, the next season, Thomson was traded back to the New York Giants.

Season standings

National League W L Pct. GB Home Road
Brooklyn Dodgers 9361 0.604 — 52–25 41–36
Milwaukee Braves 9262 0.597 1 47–29 45–33
Cincinnati Redlegs 9163 0.591 2 51–26 40–37
St. Louis Cardinals 7678 0.494 17 43–34 33–44
Philadelphia Phillies 7183 0.461 22 40–37 31–46
New York Giants 6787 0.435 26 37–40 30–47
Pittsburgh Pirates 6688 0.429 27 35–43 31–45
Chicago Cubs 6094 0.390 33 39–38 21–56

Record vs. opponents

1956 National League Records

Sources:
Team BR CHC CIN MIL NYG PHI PIT STL
Brooklyn —16–611–1110–1214–813–913–916–6
Chicago 6–16—6–16–19–137–1513–910–12–19–13–1
Cincinnati 11–1116–6–1—9–1314–811–1117–513–9
Milwaukee 12–1013–913–9—17–510–1214–8–113–9
New York 8–1415–78–145–17—11–1113–97–15
Philadelphia 9–139–1311–1112–1011–11—7–1512–10
Pittsburgh 9–1312–10–15–178–14–19–1315–7—8–14–1
St. Louis 6–1613–9–19–139–1315–710–1214–8–1—

Roster

1956 Milwaukee Braves
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

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

Pos Player G AB R H Avg. HR RBI
1BJoe Adcock13745476132.32838103
3BEddie Mathews151552103150.3283795
SSJohnny Logan148545153.2811546
LFBobby Thomson14245159106.2352074
CFBill Bruton14752573143.272856
RFHank Aaron153609106200.3282692

Other batters

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

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Félix Mantilla355315.28303

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Warren Spahn39281.120112.78111
Lew Burdette39256.119102.70110
Bob Buhl38216.21883.3286

Other pitchers

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

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Gene Conley35158.1893.1368
Taylor Phillips2387.2532.2636

Relief pitchers

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

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Ernie Johnson364363.7126
Dave Jolly292373.7420
Chet Nichols20106.752
Phil Paine1000∞0

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Wichita Braves American Association George Selkirk
AA Atlanta Crackers Southern Association Clyde King
AA Austin Senators Texas League Connie Ryan
A Jacksonville Braves Sally League Ben Geraghty
A Topeka Hawks Western League Bud Bates
B Corpus Christi Clippers Big State League Sibby Sisti
B Evansville Braves Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League Bob Coleman
C Salinas Packers California League Eddie Lake
C Eau Claire Braves Northern League Joe Just
C Boise Braves Pioneer League Mickey Livingston and George McQuinn
D Leesburg Braves Florida State League Tommy Giordano
D Waycross Braves Georgia–Florida League Jim Deery
D McCook Braves Nebraska State League Bill Steinecke
D Wellsville Braves PONY League Alex Monchak
D Lawton Braves Sooner State League Travis Jackson

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Atlanta, Jacksonville, Evansville, Boise, Wellsville

References

  1. ↑ "Baseball standings (final)". Milwaukee Journal. October 1, 1956. p. , part 2.
  2. ↑ "Major league crowds are slightly decreased". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. October 1, 1956. p. 12, part 2.
  3. ↑ "Turnstile story". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 24, 1956. p. 2, part s.
  4. ↑ Wolf, Bob (June 17, 1956). "Grimm quits manager job; Haney to boss the Braves". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, part 1.
  5. ↑ Lynch, H.G. (June 17, 1956). "Grimm resigns, or is he pushed?". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, part 3.
  • Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
  • 1956 Milwaukee Braves season at Baseball Reference
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