Twenty Hall of Famers in 1958
Williams, Musial, Mantle, Mays, Clemente, Berra and Snider Played
Ted Williams and Stan Musial were finishing up, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were reaching their peaks, while Frank and Brooks Robinson were just starting.
Some of the greatest players in the history of the game played in 1958. Some were nearing the end, some were at their peak, and some were just getting started. The group included Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, Larry Doby, Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson, Yogi Berra, Richie Ashburn, Nellie Fox, Orlando Cepeda, PeeWee Reese, Luis Aparicio and Bill Mazeroski. All are in the Hall of Fame.
There Was Balance Between Hitting and Pitching
Williams, Musial, Aaron, Mantle, Mays, and Clemente are among the greatest hitters of all time, yet American League teams averaged only 4.17 runs a game, and National League teams only 4.40 runs a game, despite the presence of the all time career home run champion, the last player to hit over .400 in a season, the three greatest centerfielders in the history of New York baseball, and a few other outstanding hitters (what an understatement). The explanation is that there was a delicate balance between offense and pitching that no longer exists.
The Greats Still Delivered
In 1958, the World Champion New York Yankees scored 759 runs, an average of 4.90 runs a game, to lead American League teams, while the transplanted San Francisco Giants scored 727 runs, an average of 4.72 a game, to lead the Senior Circuit. Ted Williams hit .328 to win the AL batting title and Mickey Mantle hit 42 home runs to lead the league. In the National League, Richie Ashburn won the batting title with a .350 average, and shortstop Ernie Banks led both leagues with 47 home runs.
The Philosophy Was Different
The philosophy of the game was different. Teams tried to PREVENT the opposition from scoring instead of trying to outscore the opposition. The emphasis was on pitching and defense. Players with undisciplined power, such as Dave Nicholson, were given the chance to play because it was hoped that they would eventually harness their great power. Among the single season strike out leaders, only Nicholson. among the "top" 100, played before 1965. Today, it seems as if both leagues are strewn with Dave Nicholsons.
Oh, Those Strikeouts
Batters considered striking out a disgrace and most tried to make contact, not going for the downs with two strikes. In 1958, American League teams averaged 755 strikeouts and National League teams averaged 774 strikeouts. In 2006, AL teams averaged 1,016 strike outs while the NL average was 1,089. Remember, in 1958 the pitcher batted. In 2006, the pitcher batted only in the National League.
Some of the Greatest Play Today
Some of the greatest players of all time are playing today, and they are facing some of the greatest pitchers. Ichiro Suzuki, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero, Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, and maybe even Alfonso Soriano will be Hall of Famers, unless prevented by injury or some other reason.
Everyone Wants It
The causes of the great increase in offensive production have been repeated over and over and will not be listed here. Regardless of whether the supplemented offense has occurred by methods those in power consider legal and/or acceptable or by other means, the fact remains that the conditions under which today's great hitters play are different from the era of Williams, Musial, Aaron, Mantle, Clemente, and Mays. The balance between pitching and hitting has been skewed, deliberately, to favor offense, which is what those who run the game want, because it is also what those who pay to watch the game want.
