1965

The following are the baseball events of the year 1965 throughout the world.  

This article is currently under construction.

Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Minnesota Twins (4-3); Sandy Koufax, MVP
• All-Star Game, July 13 at Metropolitan Stadium: National League, 6-5; Juan Marichal, MVP

Other champions

• College World Series: Arizona State
• Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Nankai Hawks (4-1)
• Little League World Series: Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Zoilo Versalles, Minnesota Twins (AL)
  • Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants (NL)
• Cy Young Award
  • Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers
• Rookie of the Year
  • Curt Blefary, Baltimore Orioles (AL)
  • Jim Lefebvre, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)

MLB Statistical Leaders

	American League		National League
AVG	Tony Oliva MIN	.321	Roberto Clemente PIT	.329
HR	Tony Conigliaro BOS	32	Willie Mays SFG	52
RBI	Rocky Colavito CLE	108	Deron Johnson CIN	119
Wins	Mudcat Grant MIN	21	Sandy Koufax1 LAD	26
ERA	Sam McDowell CLE	2.18	Sandy Koufax1 LAD	2.04
Ks	Sam McDowell CLE	325	Sandy Koufax1 LAD	382

¹Major League Triple Crown Pitching Winner

Major League Baseball final standings

American League final standings

American League Club Wins Losses Win %   GB Minnesota Twins 102 60 .630 -- Chicago White Sox 95 67 .586 7 Baltimore Orioles 94 68 .580 8 Detroit Tigers 89 73 .549 13 Cleveland Indians 87 75 .537 15 New York Yankees 77 85 .475 25 Los Angeles Angels 75 87 .463 27 Washington Senators 70 92 .432 32 Boston Red Sox 62 100 .383 40 Kansas City Athletics 59 103 .364 43

National League final standings

National League Club Wins Losses Win %   GB Los Angeles Dodgers 97 65 .599 -- San Francisco Giants 95 67 .578 2 Pittsburgh Pirates 90 72 .556 7 Cincinnati Reds 89 73 .549 8 Milwaukee Braves 86 76 .531 11 Philadelphia Phillies 85 76 .528 11.5 St. Louis Cardinals 80 81 .497 16.5 Chicago Cubs 72 90 .444 25 Houston Astros 65 97 .401 32 New York Mets 50 112 .309 47

Events

• January 31 - Pitcher Pud Galvin is chosen for Hall of Fame induction by the Special Veterans Committee.

• July 13 - At Minnesota, Willie Mays hits a home run with two walks and two runs to pace the National League to a 6–5 All-Star Game victory over the American League. Juan Marichal pitches three scoreless innings to earn Game MVP.

• August 22 - A game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park turns ugly when San Francisco's starting pitcher, Juan Marichal, batting against Sandy Koufax in the third inning, attacks Dodgers catcher John Roseboro with his bat. Both benches clear and a 14-minute brawl ensues, before peacemakers such as Koufax and the Giants' Willie Mays restore order. A shaken up Koufax then gives up a 3 run homer to Mays and the Giants win 4-3 to retake 1st place. National League president Warren Giles suspends Marichal for eight games and fines him $1,750, and also forbids him to travel with his team to Dodger Stadium for the final series of the season against the Dodgers. Although the Giants take both games during a 14-game winning streak, the Dodgers would go on to win the pennant, using a 13 game winning streak of their own to clinch the pennant over the rival Giants on the season's next to last day.

• September 9 - At Dodger Stadium, a duel between the Los Angeles Dodgers' Sandy Koufax and Bob Hendley of the Chicago Cubs is perfect until Dodger left fielder Lou Johnson walks in the fifth inning. Following a sacrifice bunt, Johnson steals third base and scores on a throwing error by Cubs catcher Chris Krug. Johnson later has the game's only hit, a 7th-inning double. Koufax's fourth no-hitter in four years is a perfect game, the first in Dodgers history (and, to date, the last no-hitter the Cubs have had thrown against them). One hit by two clubs in a completed nine-inning game is also a major league record, as is the one runner left on base. The two base runners in a game is a ML record. For Chicago pitchers, it is the second one-hitter they've thrown against the Dodgers this year and lost. A week later in the rematch in Chicago's Wrigley Field, Hendley beats Koufax and the Dodgers, 2-1.

• September 13 - The San Francisco Giants' Willie Mays' hits his 500th home run off the Houston Astros' Don Nottebart, and Juan Marichal earned his 22nd victory as the Giants beat Houston 5-1 at the Astrodome. The win is the Giants' 11th straight and gives them a two and a half game lead.

• September 26 - The Minnesota Twins gain their first American League pennant since moving from Washington in 1961, ironically by defeating the expansion Washington Senators 2-1 at Washington D.C.'s Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. Minnesota's Jim Kaat (17-11) wins the clincher.

• October 2 - Sandy Koufax wins his 26th game as the Dodgers beat the Braves 2-1, for their 14th win in their last 15 games as they clinch the N.L. pennant.

• October 7 - Jim Kaat gives Minnesota a 2-0 World Series lead by driving in two runs, defeating Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 at Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium. The game is remembered for Minnesota's Bob Allison sliding remarkable catch of a Jim Lefebvre line drive in the wet grass of Metropolitan Stadium.

• October 14 - Working on two days rest, Sandy Koufax strikes out 10 and throws a three-hit 2–0 shutout against the Minnesota Twins in Game Seven of the World Series, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a second World Championship in three years. Lou Johnson's 4th inning leadoff home run off the left field foul pole gives Koufax the only run he'll need. A Ron Fairly double and Wes Parker single in the same inning add an insurance run to account for the 2-0 final. Koufax, who threw complete game shutouts in games 5 and 7, is named Series MVP.

Births

• March 2 - Ron Gant
• March 9 - Benito Santiago
• March 12 - Steve Finley
• March 14 - Kevin Brown
• July 3 - Greg Vaughn
• September 9 - Todd Zeile
• October 4 - Steve Olin (d. 1993) (boating accident)
• October 6 - Rubén Sierra
• November 28 - Matt Williams
• December 11 - Jay Bell
• December 14 - Craig Biggio
• October 11 - Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez

Deaths

• January 5 - Dick Lundy, 66, All-Star shortstop and manager of the Negro Leagues
• January 26 - Bingo DeMoss, 75, second baseman of the Negro Leagues
• February 8 - Ray Brown, 56, All-Star pitcher for the Negro Leagues' Homestead Grays
• March 5 - Pepper Martin, 61, 4-time All-Star with the Cardinals who led the league in steals three times
• March 6 - Wally Schang, 75, American League catcher for 19 seasons, including three world champions
• March 9 - Frank Graham, 71, Hall of Fame New York sportswriter for 50 years
• August 29 - Paul Waner, 62, Hall of Fame right fielder who won three batting titles and the NL's 1927 MVP award with the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming the seventh player to make 3000 hits
• September 22 - Biz Mackey, 68, Hall of Fame 5-time All-Star catcher and manager of the Negro Leagues
• October 29 - Bill McKechnie, 79, Hall of Fame manager who became the first person to lead three different teams to pennants: the Pirates (1925), Cardinals (1928), and Reds (1939-40), winning the World Series in 1925 and 1940
• December 9 - Branch Rickey, 83, Hall of Fame executive who revolutionized the game first by establishing the farm system of player development, and again by signing Jackie Robinson to integrate the major leagues