TRIVIA WINNER: Willie Horton was hit by the pitch by Don Kainer in his last at bat in the seventh inning of the last game of the 1980 season, while playing for Seattle. He was removed for a pinch runner. It was also Kainer's last game in the big leagues. 50 points toward the person's total.
NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: You will still be required to enter the drawing as usual. However, through June 2025 you will get points depending on the complexity of the questions. Enter each week and correct answers will get those points-one guess per person per week. The reader with the most points after June's final column will get a $50 Starbucks Gift Card. Ties will be placed into a drawing. Tell your friends and sports fans who like trivia. We will keep track of your points. - YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN.
NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the first MLB player to earn one million dollars in a season? TOTAL 10 POINTS.
It may seem like a minuscule amount in today's salaried world where millions of dollars are being spent on major league players and at some point we will see a Billion Dollar Contract, but in the 1960s the goal was $100,000. So who was the highest paid player in the 1960s. It should come as no surprise, it was Willie Mays. In 1965 at age 34 Mays hit 52 homers and batted .317.
What Willie Mays made in a season in the 1960s was about what players today make in "at bat," and while all things are relative most fans believe players like Mays and Aaron were well underpaid. I had more than one encounter with Willie over the last 25 years and he has seemed to be not a pleasant individual. He seems angry, which is what others who have had the same experience have told me as well. It might be understandable that he might feel slighted that players who couldn't hold a candle to him during his say-hey days, make millions while he made less around $2 million in his career.
Briefly Mickey Mantle was the highest paid, the Mays and then for one year Sandy Koufax was top of the list. If he hadn't retired, the lefty pitcher might have been the highest paid in the decade over Mays. The list looks like this;
| 1960 | $80,000 | Willie Mays (SF NL) | |||||
| 1961 | $85,000 | Willie Mays (SF NL) | |||||
| 1962 | $90,000 | Mickey Mantle (NY AL) | |||||
| Willie Mays (SF NL) | |||||||
| 1963 | $105,000 | Willie Mays (SF NL) | |||||
| 1964 | $105,000 | Willie Mays (SF NL) | |||||
| 1965 | $105,000 | Willie Mays (SF NL) | |||||
| 1966 | $130,000 | Sandy Koufax (LA NL) (Retired after 1966 season) | |||||
| 1967 | $125,000 | Willie Mays (SF NL) | |||||
| 1968 | $125,000 | Willie Mays (SF NL) | |||||
| 1969 | $135,000 | Willie Mays (SF NL) (Top Salary of the decade) |
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During the 1960s Hank Aaron hit 40+ homers a season five times, yet Aaron never made more than $92,500 but crossed the $100k mark in 1970 at $125k. He eventually made $240k. Frank Robinson won the Triple Crown in 1966 at age 30 but didn't reach $100k until 1967, topping out at $125 in the 60s. Juan Marichal made $115k among the top players. By the end of the decade there were several.
Pete Rose often said that knowing sluggers made $100k, he wanted to be the first $100k "singles hitter." He made in 1970 when he reached $105k.
TRIVIA CONTEST;