1965 Kansas City Athletics season

MLB yearly infobox-pre1969
name = Kansas City Athletics
season = 1965
misc =

current league = American League
y1 = 1901
division = Western Division
y2 = 1969
Uniform
ballpark = Municipal Stadium
y4 = 1955
city = Kansas City, Missouri
y5 = 1955
owners = Charles O. Finley
managers = Mel McGaha and Haywood Sullivan
television = KCMO
radio = KCMO (AM)
(Monte Moore,Red Rush) |The Kansas City Athletics' 1965 season involved the A's finishing 10th in the American League West with a record of 59 wins and 103 losses. Charlie O. Finley steadily built up the team's farm system. He was assisted by the creation of the baseball draft in 1965, which forced young prospects to sign with the team that drafted them—at the price offered by the team—if they wanted to play professional baseball. Thus, Finley was spared from having to compete with wealthier teams for top talent. The Athletics, owners of the worst record in the American League in 1964, had the first pick in the first draft, selecting Rick Monday on June 8, 1965.

Offseason

* January 20, 1965: Tommy John was traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Cleveland Indians with Tommie Agee and Johnny Romano to the Chicago White Sox. The Chicago White Sox sent Cam Carreon to the Cleveland Indians. The Chicago White Sox sent a player to be named later, Jim Landis, and Mike Hershberger to the Kansas City Athletics. The Kansas City Athletics sent Rocky Colavito to the Cleveland Indians. The Chicago White Sox sent Fred Talbot (February 10, 1965) to the Kansas City Athletics to complete the trade.

Regular season

In 1965, Kansas City Athletics owner Charles O. Finley signed Satchel Paige, 58 at the time, for one game. On September 25, against the Boston Red Sox, Finley invited several Negro League veterans including Cool Papa Bell to be introduced before the game. Paige was in the bullpen, sitting on a rocking chair, being served coffee by a “nurse” between innings. He started the game by getting Jim Gosger out on a pop foul. The next man, Dalton Jones, reached first and went to second on an infield error, but was thrown out trying to reach third on a pitch in the dirt. Carl Yastrzemski doubled and Tony Conigliaro hit a fly ball to end the inning. The next six batters went down in order, including a strikeout of Bill Monbouquette. In the fourth inning, Paige took the mound, to be removed according to plan by Haywood Sullivan. He walked off to a boisterous ovation despite the small crowd of 9,000. The lights dimmed and, led by the PA announcer, the fans lit matches and cigarette lighters while singing “The Old Gray Mare.”

eason standings

Notable transactions

*May 3, 1965: Joe Rudi was selected off waivers by the Cleveland Indians from the Kansas City Athletics as first-year waiver pick. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rudijo01.shtml Joe Rudi Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*May 28, 1965: Don Mossi was signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Athletics. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mossido01.shtml Don Mossi Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*June 8, 1965: Rick Monday was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 1965 amateur draft. Player signed June 15, 1965. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mondari01.shtml Rick Monday Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*June 8, 1965: Sal Bando was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics in the 6th round of the 1965 amateur draft. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bandosa01.shtml Sal Bando Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*September 10, 1965: Satchel Paige was signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Athletics. [ http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/paigesa01.shtml]

Roster

References

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/KCA/1965.shtml 1965 Kansas City Athletics team page at Baseball Reference]
* [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1965&t=KC1 1965 Kansas City Athletics team page at www.baseball-almanac.com]