1960 National League Debuts

Willie Mays played his first Major League game on May 25, 1951, and went 0-for-5 at the plate. He started his career 1-for-25 and told his manager, "I can't do it, Mr. Leo. You better bench me."

Casey Stengel played his first Major League game on July 27, 1912, and went 4-for-4 at the plate. He commented later in his life, "I broke in with four hits and the writers promptly decided they had seen the new Ty Cobb. It took me only a few days to correct that impression."

Both Mays and Stengel would continue their Major League careers down separate paths of greatness, but each still had to appear in that memorable first Major League game. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present what Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone once described as, "His first Major League debut."

"There is a certain amount of fascination to the big league debut of any athlete. Sometimes they are incredible successes. Sometimes they are frenetic failures." - Sportswriter Arthur Daley
National League Debuts

1960

20, 42 Danny Murphy 1960 Chicago Cubs 06-18-1960 17
12 Nelson Mathews 1960 Chicago Cubs 09-09-1960 19
37 Ray Sadecki 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 05-19-1960 19
9 Joe Azcue 1960 Cincinnati Reds 08-03-1960 20
34 Dick Burwell 1960 Chicago Cubs 09-13-1960 20
26 Willie Davis 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers 09-08-1960 20
42 Len Gabrielson 1960 Milwaukee Braves 09-09-1960 20
22 Gary Kolb 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 09-07-1960 20
46 Jim Maloney 1960 Cincinnati Reds 07-27-1960 20
17 Phil Ortega 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers 09-10-1960 20
15, 10 Ron Santo 1960 Chicago Cubs 06-26-1960 20
15 Joe Torre 1960 Milwaukee Braves 09-25-1960 20
26 Matty Alou 1960 San Francisco Giants 09-26-1960 21
34 Chris Cannizzaro 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 04-17-1960 21
17 Leo Cardenas 1960 Cincinnati Reds 07-25-1960 21
38 Doug Clemens 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 10-02-1960 21
27 Julio Gotay 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 08-06-1960 21
44 Al Neiger 1960 Philadelphia Phillies 07-30-1960 21
17 Ed Olivares 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 09-16-1960 21
21 Rogelio Alvarez 1960 Cincinnati Reds 09-18-1960 22
45 Jim Brewer 1960 Chicago Cubs 07-17-1960 22
23 Cal Browning 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 06-12-1960 22
20 Don Choate 1960 San Francisco Giants 09-12-1960 22
7 Tony Curry 1960 Philadelphia Phillies 04-12-1960 22
31 John Goetz 1960 Chicago Cubs 04-16-1960 22
23 Charlie James 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 08-02-1960 22
28 Art Mahaffey 1960 Philadelphia Phillies 07-30-1960 22
27 Juan Marichal 1960 San Francisco Giants 07-19-1960 22
18 Charley Smith 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers 09-08-1960 22
34 Bobby Wine 1960 Philadelphia Phillies 09-20-1960 22
17 Elio Chacon 1960 Cincinnati Reds 04-20-1960 23
11 Clay Dalrymple 1960 Philadelphia Phillies 04-24-1960 23
22 Joe Gaines 1960 Cincinnati Reds 06-29-1960 23
22 Tony Gonzalez 1960 Cincinnati Reds 04-12-1960 23
25 Julian Javier 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 05-28-1960 23
45 Duane Richards 1960 Cincinnati Reds 09-25-1960 23
19 Bob Sadowski 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 09-16-1960 23
6 Dick Bertell 1960 Chicago Cubs 09-22-1960 24
35 Doug Camilli 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers 09-25-1960 24
29, 47 Earl Francis 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates 06-30-1960 24
41 Jim Golden 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers 09-30-1960 24
6 Jim McKnight 1960 Chicago Cubs 09-22-1960 24
35 Mel Nelson 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 09-27-1960 24
32 Don Nottebart 1960 Milwaukee Braves 07-01-1960 24
15, 21 Ed Rakow 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers 04-22-1960 24
6 Neil Wilson 1960 San Francisco Giants 04-17-1960 24
33 Ed Bauta 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 07-06-1960 25
19 Sammy Drake 1960 Chicago Cubs 04-17-1960 25
36 Terry Fox 1960 Milwaukee Braves 09-04-1960 25
22 Joe Gibbon 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates 04-17-1960 25
46 Dallas Green 1960 Philadelphia Phillies 06-18-1960 25
33 Lou Johnson 1960 Chicago Cubs 04-17-1960 25
36 Sherman Jones 1960 San Francisco Giants 08-02-1960 25
35 Ron Piche 1960 Milwaukee Braves 05-30-1960 25
36 Ken MacKenzie 1960 Milwaukee Braves 05-02-1960 26
17 Ken Walters 1960 Philadelphia Phillies 04-12-1960 26
8 Dick Barone 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-22-1960 27
23 Ed Palmquist 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers 06-10-1960 27
35 Georges Maranda 1960 San Francisco Giants 04-26-1960 28
42 Mike Krsnich 1960 Milwaukee Braves 04-23-1960 29
22 John Glenn 1960 St. Louis Cardinals 06-16-1960 31
18 Al Heist 1960 Chicago Cubs 07-17-1960 32
38 Diomedes Olivo 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-05-1960 41
1960 National League Debuts


 

Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the National League during the 1960 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

Ray Jansen (four for five in his first game), Aubrey Epps (three for four in his first game) and Ed Irvin (two for three in his first game) all finished their career with lifetime batting averages which were greater than their career fielding percentages.

Did you know that on September 27, 1963 the Houston Colt .45s fielded an all-rookie lineup that included future stars Joe Morgan, Jerry Grote, and Rusty Staub?

     

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