The United States embargo against Castro-led Cuba was announced as one of the revolutionary dictator’s responses is to prohibit Cuban baseball players from leaving the tiny island to ply their trade in other countries as professionals.
The first medicare plan was launched in Saskatchewan despite a great protest from doctors.
The National League expanded from eight to ten teams and adopted an 162-game schedule, an increase of eight games from the previous 154-game format.
The New York Yankees won the World Series 4 games to 3 over the San Francisco Giants.
The Hamiota Red Sox had a five-game cushion in annexing the 1962 Manitoba Senior Baseball League pennant and went on to take down the second-place Dauphin Red Birds in the playoff finals. The St. Boniface Native Sons, with an impressive 17– 0 record during league play, were also the playoff champions of the Winnipeg Metro League after breezing to the pennant. Carrying a two-games-to none-lead with one tie after three games in the Manitoba Senior finals, the Red Sox laid claim to a de-facto victory as the series was never completed.
In Vancouver and environs, the playoff titlists were Western Bridge (Industrial League) and Coquitlam (Dewdney League). The Victoria Eagles, riding the wave of outstanding pitching, captured the B.C. Senior Amateur tiara, defeating the defending-champion Kelowna Labatts, Okanagan-Mainline League winners, in the finals of a double-knockout tournament.
With the demise of the Western Canada Baseball League, Lloydminster would soldier on with an entry in the Northern Saskatchewan League.
The North Battleford Beavers were the cream of the crop winning both the pennant and playoff for the championship. In the deciding game of the best-of-seven final, Beavers scored the winning run on a squeeze play in the 9th inning to top Kindersley 3-2.
The GreenCaps, with Curly Williams at the helm, finished in the middle of the pack in their initial season.
Jim Wiley of the Kindersley Klippers won the batting crown swatting the ball for a .421 average, well ahead of runner-up Kenny Nelson of North Battleford, .386, and John Ford, also of the Beavers, at .372.
Neil Urlacher (left) of Neilburg Monarchs topped the circuit in home runs, 7, and runs batted in, 32.
Bennie Griggs of North Battleford and Tommy Taylor of Lloydminster tied for the lead in pitching wins, each with nine.
The Beavers' Roy Rowley had the best winning percentage, with a 5-1 record, and finished in the top ten in batting with a .359 average.
In the Southern League, Wayne LeBere (left) fired a three-hit shutout to led Moose Jaw to a 7-0 win over Regina to capture the best-of-seven final in five games.
It was LeBere's third playoff triumph.
Ed Stefureak (above right) of Regina captured the batting crown with a .390 mark.
He topped the loop in hits, 55, and home runs, 8. Stefureak captured the Heinie Rogers memorial trophy, presented annually to the Southern League's most valuable player.
Teammate Al Ash (left) was the leading pitcher during the regular season with a 9-1 won/lost record. Lorne Houk of the Notre Dame Hounds, with an 8 - 1 record, was second.
In Alberta, the two top senior baseball circuits were in the central and northern parts of the Wild Rose province. The North Edmonton Rockets emerged as playoff winners in the Big Seven League while the Fairview Outlaws nosed past the Grande Prairie Eskimos to claim the 1962 Wheat Belt pennant but dropped their playoff series to the Esks. Calgary was once again without senior baseball in 1962 but had a four-team junior circuit.
(June 26) Mr. Justice J.V.H. Milvain of the Alberta Supreme Court has awarded Clark Rex, the former Edmonton playing manager, $1,179 and costs in an action against the Eskimo Baseball Association. Rex filed a statement of claim against the association, its president A.R. Edwards, office manager R.J. Sharp and general manager Lou Hiatt after he was dismissed from the club's employ last July.
He claimed $1.393 for wages, rent and an airplane fare from Los Angeles. Rex said he was dismissed without reasonable cause. The defendants charged he had behaved in a manner detrimental to the club and said they were fining him the balance of his salary.
(August 04) Pat Hannigan, forward with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League was barred for life from the Red Deer Baseball Association and fined $100 Saturday for breaking the nose of Umpire W.R. Scott.
Magistrate W.A. Shaw found Hannigan guilty of a July 23 charge that he caused bodily harm to Scott when he grabbed the umpire by the hair and punched him in the face during a game.