1963 National League Retirements

The baseball torch is passed from season to season and in some cases, from game to game. In 1911, Cy Young pitched his final Major League game, lost 1-0, and ended the final season of his career with a losing record of 7-9 and an ERA of 3.77. Young's opponent that particular day was a first-year pitcher named Grover Alexander who received the win, added to his league leading shutout total, and went on to begin his career with a winning record of 28-13 and an ERA of 2.57.

Bob Gibson, who was easily one of the most intense competitors of all time, gave up a grand slam to the last Major League hitter he faced, Pete LaCock of the Chicago Cubs. Fifteen years passed and when the two faced off during an old-timer's game, Gibson hit LaCock on his back with a fastball.

Babe Ruth summed it up when he responded to a question about retirement by saying, "A ballplayer should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill." Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a comprehensive list of National League League players who hung up their spikes in 1963.

"You start chasing a ball and your brain immediately commands your body to: Run forward. Bend. Scoop up the ball. Peg it to the infield. Then your body says, 'Who, me?'" - Retirement comment made by Joe DiMaggio
 

National League Retirements

1963

15 Ken Aspromonte Chicago Cubs 2B 32
41 Tom Baker Chicago Cubs P 30
9 Cuno Barragan Chicago Cubs C 31
11 Alex Grammas Chicago Cubs SS 38
16 Ken Hubbs Chicago Cubs 2B 22
30 Dick LeMay Chicago Cubs P 25
33 Phil Mudrock Chicago Cubs P 26
28 Bob Will Chicago Cubs 1B 32
42 Jim Brosnan Cincinnati Reds P 34
9 Gene Green Cincinnati Reds C 30
19 Charlie Neal Cincinnati Reds 3B 33
9 Daryl Spencer Cincinnati Reds 3B 35
7 Sammy Taylor Cincinnati Reds C 31
21 Ken Walters Cincinnati Reds OF 30
9 Jim Campbell Houston Colt .45s C 26
34 Conrad Cardinal Houston Colt .45s P 22
42 Jay Dahl Houston Colt .45s P 18
36 Dick Drott Houston Colt .45s P 27
35 Jim Golden Houston Colt .45s P 28
27 Howie Goss Houston Colt .45s OF 29
18 J.C. Hartman Houston Colt .45s SS 30
39 Russ Kemmerer Houston Colt .45s P 32
22 John Paciorek Houston Colt .45s OF 19
32 Jim Umbricht Houston Colt .45s P 33
4 Glenn Vaughan Houston Colt .45s SS 20
23 Marv Breeding Los Angeles Dodgers 2B 30
36 Roy Gleason Los Angeles Dodgers PH 21
20 Daryl Spencer Los Angeles Dodgers 3B 35
32 Frank Funk Milwaukee Braves P 28
9 Norm Larker Milwaukee Braves 1B 33
1 Cliff Cook New York Mets OF 27
7, 12 Chico Fernandez New York Mets SS 32
18 Pumpsie Green New York Mets 3B 30
22 Joe Hicks New York Mets OF 31
14 Gil Hodges New York Mets 1B 40
4 Charlie Neal New York Mets 3B 33
41 Grover Powell New York Mets P 23
29 Don Rowe New York Mets P 28
43 Ted Schreiber New York Mets 3B 25
5 Norm Sherry New York Mets C 32
16 Sammy Taylor New York Mets C 31
2 Marv Throneberry New York Mets 1B 30
17 Earl Averill Philadelphia Phillies C 32
9 Cal Emery Philadelphia Phillies 1B 26
9 Mickey Harrington Philadelphia Phillies PR 29
32 Billy Klaus Philadelphia Phillies SS 35
9 Jim Lemon Philadelphia Phillies OF 36
10 Bob Oldis Philadelphia Phillies C 36
14 Frank Torre Philadelphia Phillies 1B 32
23 Johnny Logan Pittsburgh Pirates SS 37
2 Elmo Plaskett Pittsburgh Pirates C 25
21 Ernie Bowman San Francisco Giants SS 28
34 Jim Constable San Francisco Giants P 30
16 Norm Larker San Francisco Giants 1B 33
48 Al Stanek San Francisco Giants P 20
19 Jack Damaska St. Louis Cardinals 2B 26
6 Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals OF 43
41 Diomedes Olivo St. Louis Cardinals P 45
1 Carl Sawatski St. Louis Cardinals C 36
2 Red Schoendienst St. Louis Cardinals PH 41
29 Moe Thacker St. Louis Cardinals C 30
29 Corky Withrow St. Louis Cardinals OF 26
1963 National League Retirements



Find out which players made their Major League debut in the National League during the 1963 season as this group of players bid farewell to their field's of dreams.

On July 28, 1976, Blue Moon Odom pitched the final five innings of his Major League career. He was relieved by Francisco Barrios in the sixth inning and the two White Sox combined to pitch a 2-1 no-hitter versus the Oakland Athletics.

Goose Goslin played for eighteen seasons and averaged one-hundred twenty-seven games played per season. In 1938, during his final at-bat, he twisted his back and was replaced at the plate by a pinch-hitter for the first time in his Major League career.