The 1959 Cleveland Indians season was the 59th season in franchise history. The Indians finished in second place in the American League with a record of 89 wins and 65 losses, 5 games behind the American League Champion Chicago White Sox.
Offseason October 27, 1958: Jay Porter was traded by the Indians to the Washington Senators for Ossie Álvarez.Jay Porter page at Baseball Reference November 20, 1958: Don Mossi, Ray Narleski, and Ossie Álvarez were traded by the Indians to the Detroit Tigers for Billy Martin and Al Cicotte.Billy Martin page at Baseball Reference December 2, 1958: Vic Wertz and Gary Geiger were traded by the Indians to the Boston Red Sox for Jimmy Piersall.Jim Piersall page at Baseball Reference January 23, 1959: Earl Averill, Jr. and Morrie Martin were traded by the Indians to the Chicago Cubs for Jim Bolger and John Briggs.Jim Bolger page at Baseball Reference
Regular season On June 10, right fielder Rocky Colavito hit four home runs in one game against the Baltimore Orioles.Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 258, David Nemec and Scott latow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York,
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Notable transactions April 11, 1959: Mickey Vernon was traded by the Indians to the Milwaukee Braves for Humberto Robinson.Mickey Vernon page at Baseball Reference May 4, 1959: Randy Jackson was traded by the Indians to the Chicago Cubs for Bob Smith.Bob Smith page at Baseball Reference June 6, 1959: Jim Bolger and cash were traded by the Indians to the Philadelphia Phillies for Willie Jones. September 9, 1959: Chuck Tanner was purchased by the Indians from the Boston Red Sox.Chuck Tanner Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac
Opening Day Lineup +Opening Day Starters # Name Position37 Jimmy Piersall CF1 Billy Martin 2B9 Minnie Miñoso LF6 Rocky Colavito RF15 Russ Nixon C10 Vic Power 1B3 Woodie Held 3B4 George Strickland 2B39 Gary Bell P "1959 Opening Day Lineup at Baseball-Reference"
Roster 1959 Cleveland Indians Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders
Other batters Manager
Coaches (Pitching) (First Base)
(Bullpen) (Third Base)
Player stats
= Indicates team leader = Indicates league leader 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 Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI C 82 258 62 .240 1 29 1B 147 595 172 .289 10 60 2B 73 242 63 .260 9 24 SS 143 525 132 .251 29 71 3B 132 441 105 .238 3 48 LF 148 570 172 .302 21 92 CF 100 317 78 .246 4 30 RF 154 588 151 .257 42* 111 Tied with Harmon Killebrew (WSH) for league lead
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 122 399 145 .363 20 79 77 247 59 .239 15 34 48 141 31 .220 5 16 49 129 35 .271 1 4 40 74 15 .203 2 10 27 67 11 .164 1 3 32 53 11 .208 0 2 14 48 12 .250 1 5 14 36 10 .278 0 5 13 36 8 .222 1 5 34 24 7 .292 0 5 11 18 4 .222 0 1 11 17 5 .294 0 2 6 15 8 .533 0 2 10 10 4 .400 0 1 8 7 0 .000 0 0 7 7 1 .143 0 0
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 35 235.1 19 8 3.63 113 44 234.0 16 11 4.04 136 30 160.2 9 11 4.71 147 1 6.2 1 0 2.70 5
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 38 165.1 10 7 4.14 85 44 153.0 12 10 2.65 79 24 77.2 0 1 5.22 17 15 76.0 5 3 3.20 45 29 72.0 3 6 4.00 49 13 66.0 5 1 2.59 35 12 29.1 0 1 5.22 17 4 12.2 0 1 5.22 17
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 18 2 2 5 1.80 9 26 3 1 1 5.32 23 6 0 1 0 5.84 5 5 1 0 0 4.15 6
Awards and honors First All-Star Game: Rocky Colavito, Vic Power Second All-Star Game: Rocky Colavito, Vic Power
League leaders Rocky Colavito, American League leader in home runs (tied)
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Mobile, SelmaJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
References
External links 1959 Cleveland Indians team page at Baseball Reference 1959 Cleveland Indians team page at www.baseball-almanac.com 1959 WS page at Baseball Reference