1965 Major League Baseball season
| 1965 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Number of games | 162 |
| Number of teams | 20 (10 per league) |
| TV partner(s) | NBC, CBS, ABC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Rick Monday |
| Picked by | Kansas City Athletics |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Zoilo Versalles (MIN) NL: Willie Mays (SF) |
| AL champions | Minnesota Twins |
| AL runners-up | Chicago White Sox |
| NL champions | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| NL runners-up | San Francisco Giants |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Runners-up | Minnesota Twins |
| World Series MVP | Sandy Koufax (LAD) |
The 1965 major league baseball season began on April 12, 1965. The regular season ended on October 3, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 62nd World Series on October 6 and ended with Game 7 on October 14. The Dodgers defeated the Twins, four games to three, capturing their fourth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1963. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the St. Louis Cardinals from the 1963 season.
The 36th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 13 at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, home of the Minnesota Twins. The National League won, 6–5.
The Houston Colt .45s became the Houston Astros, as they moved from Colt Stadium to the new Astrodome, becoming the first team to play their home games indoors, rather than outdoors. It was also the final season for the Milwaukee Braves, before relocating to Atlanta, Georgia and becoming the Atlanta Braves for the 1966 season. The Los Angeles Angels officially changed their name to California Angels on September 2, 1965, with only 28 games left in the season, in advance of their pending 1966 move to a new stadium in Anaheim, California.
In June, the first Major League Baseball draft was held in New York City. Teams chose players in reverse order of the previous season's standings, with picks alternating between American League and National League teams. With the first pick of the 1965 MLB draft, the Kansas City Athletics took Rick Monday, an outfielder from Arizona State University.