1959 Season

16 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1959 Major League Baseball season was played by 16 teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, defeating the Chicago White Sox. Eddie Mathews led with 46 home runs, Ernie Banks led with 143 RBI, and Hank Aaron led with 223 hits. This page carries the 1959 standings, league leaders, postseason results, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1959 Bracket
World Series LAN def. CHA (4-2)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

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⚾ Batting Leaders

1959 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 480 plate appearances at 155 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Hank Aaron .355 2 Harvey Kuenn .353 3 Joe Cunningham .345 4 Al Kaline .327 5 Orlando Cepeda .317

OPS qualified

1 Hank Aaron 1.037 2 Eddie Mathews .983 3 Frank Robinson .975 4 Ernie Banks .970 5 Willie Mays .964

Home Runs all players

1 Eddie Mathews 46 2 Ernie Banks 45 3 Rocky Colavito 42 4 Harmon Killebrew 42 5 Hank Aaron 39

RBI all players

1 Ernie Banks 143 2 Frank Robinson 125 3 Hank Aaron 123 4 Gus Bell 115 5 Eddie Mathews 114

Hits all players

1 Hank Aaron 223 2 Vada Pinson 205 3 Harvey Kuenn 198 4 Orlando Cepeda 192 5 Nellie Fox 191

Runs all players

1 Vada Pinson 131 2 Willie Mays 125 3 Eddie Mathews 118 4 Hank Aaron 116 5 Eddie Yost 115

Stolen Bases all players

1 Luis Aparicio 56 2 Willie Mays 27 3 Orlando Cepeda 23 4 Jim Gilliam 23 5 Tony Taylor 23
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1959 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 155 innings at 155 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Hoyt Wilhelm 2.19 2 Camilo Pascual 2.64 3 Bob Shaw 2.69 4 Sam Jones 2.83 5 Stu Miller 2.84

WHIP qualified

1 Art Ditmar 1.03 2 Harvey Haddix 1.06 3 Don Newcombe 1.09 4 Gene Conley 1.12 5 Vern Law 1.12

Wins all pitchers

1 Early Wynn 22 2 Lew Burdette 21 3 Sam Jones 21 4 Warren Spahn 21 5 Johnny Antonelli 19

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Don Drysdale 242 2 Sam Jones 209 3 Jim Bunning 201 4 Camilo Pascual 185 5 Early Wynn 179

Saves all pitchers

1 Turk Lown 15 2 Lindy McDaniel 15 3 Don McMahon 15 4 Ryne Duren 14 5 Billy Loes 14
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

American League

Chicago White Sox ★ 94-60 Cleveland Indians 89-65 New York Yankees 79-75 Detroit Tigers 76-78 Boston Red Sox 75-79 Baltimore Orioles 74-80 Kansas City Athletics 66-88 Washington Senators 63-91

National League

Los Angeles Dodgers ★ 88-68 Milwaukee Braves 86-70 San Francisco Giants 83-71 Pittsburgh Pirates 78-76 Chicago Cubs 74-80 Cincinnati Redlegs 74-80 St. Louis Cardinals 71-83 Philadelphia Phillies 64-90

The 1959 season in brief

At 94-60, the Chicago White Sox had the top winning percentage of the 1959 season. The Washington Senators finished at the bottom of the 1959 table at 63-91. Race by race in 1959, National League honors went to the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose 88-68 beat the Milwaukee Braves's 86-70 and the Chicago White Sox owned the American League with a 94-60 mark, the Cleveland Indians next at 89-65. The bracket ends with the Los Angeles Dodgers taking the World Series from the Chicago White Sox, 4 games to 2. The home run board is topped by Eddie Mathews at 46, ahead of Ernie Banks with 45. The qualified batting-average board starts with Hank Aaron at .355, with Harvey Kuenn next at .353. The board counts only hitters with 480 or more plate appearances, which is what 155 team games require. The batting tiles keep returning to Hank Aaron, first in batting average, OPS, and hits. Among qualified pitchers, Hoyt Wilhelm had the lowest ERA, 2.19; Camilo Pascual followed at 2.64. First place on the remaining pitching boards: Early Wynn in wins (22), Don Drysdale in strikeouts (242), and Turk Lown in saves (15). The stolen-base tile is headed by Luis Aparicio with 56. Full batting and pitching tables are on the 1959 leaders page.

1959 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1959?
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 1959 World Series, beating the Chicago White Sox.
How many teams played in 1959?
16 teams played in the 1959 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1959?
Eddie Mathews led with 46 home runs in 1959.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1959?
Ernie Banks led with 143 RBI in 1959.
Who led MLB in hits in 1959?
Hank Aaron led with 223 hits in 1959.
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