The Whirled Baseball League

Baseball The Way It Never Was

TWIWBL 103.6: Year 3, Week 6 – Marvin Miller Division

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On November 9, 2026

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Wandering House of David21-17.553—
Houston Colt .45’s20-18.5261
Kansas City Monarchs20-18.5261
Birmingham Black Barons14-23.3786.5
Indianapolis ABC’s12-25.3248.5
Marvin Miller Division | 13 May

#Birmingham Black Barons

Asdrúbal Cabrera came off his rehab assignment, with Cupid Childs sent down to AAA Atlanta.

Alejandro Peña began a rehab assignment.

Prized rookie catcher Joe Torre‘s strong start (341/383/455) combined with Jim Pagliaroni‘s ongoing struggles led to another nudge upwards in Torre’s playing time.

Setup man Akinori Otsuka (0.82 ERA in 11 innings) will miss about 3 months, as will Peña, who tore a finger tendon on his rehab assignment. Carlos Diaz was recalled from Atlanta.

Eddie Mathews hit 2 homeruns and drove in 3 in an 8-6 win at Indianapolis. The surprising Kerry Ligtenberg closed it out for his 1st save, though Luis Padrón took him deep in the 9th for the first run Ligtenberg had allowed all year.

Hank Aaron hit 2 homeruns and drove in 3 the next day, but Birmingham lost 7-5 to the ABC’s.

#Houston Colt .45’s

Houston finally pulled the plug on Trea Turner‘s painful 1-for-29 start to his WBL career, demoting the young prospect and recalling Bama Rowell.

Roy Oswalt, Andrew Chafin, and Sparky Lyle combined on a 4-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over the Chicago American Giants. Paul Goldschmidt‘s RBI triple in the 4th was the only run.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Indianapolis, as always, shifts its rotation constantly. This week, it added Eppa Rixey (1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings of relief), sending Willie Mitchell to the pen.

Jeff Robinson went to the DL for about a week, and Elmer Steele was recalled from AAA.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Closer Craig Kimbrel began a rehab assignment.

With A. Rube Foster on the DL, Bob Gibson, who seems to finally be establishing himself at this level, moved into the rotation.

The Monarchs are still not sure how to structure their lineup–Sam Mongin will see some more IF time, but the high-speed, low-OBP trap of past seasons seems to be rearing its head again, as Frankie Frisch struggles, Kolten Wong is a black hole, and Cool Papa Bell and Ozzie Smith both are what they are at this point–blindingly fast, rarely on base.

#Wandering House of David

In something of a surprise, the House of David moved struggling one-time ace Jack W. Taylor (7.04 ERA in 7 starts; 205 innings at 3.42 in 2000) to the bullpen, with Bob Shaw (2.42 in 26 innings of relief) taking his turn in the rotation.

John Beckwith, now playing more and more behind the plate, went 3-for-4 with 2 solo homeruns in a 5-4 loss to the Chicago American Giants.

Jim Clinton (2.88 ERA over his first 4 starts) was hurt facing his first batter in a 10-0 loss to Chicago and will miss about a year. Kerry Wood was recalled from Columbus.

George Gore was hurt running the bases in a 14-2 loss at Homestead and will miss about a week. Tony Conigliaro (38 homeruns at Columbus last year, and 3 HR in his first WBL game) was recalled.

John Beckwith hit 2 more homeruns, the second a 2-run shot in the 9th that tied it 6-6, but Homestead won 7-6 in the 10th. Ron Santo struck out 5 times in the same game.

Brett Anderson, Scott Downs, and Dellin Betances combined on a 3-hit shutout in a 1-0 win at Homestead. Pete Browning, off to a magnificent start to the season, doubled and scored the only run, but was hurt running the bases. The House of David’s collective fandom held its breath over the historically fragile Browning, but he will miss only a few days.

TWIWBL 103.5: Year 3, Week 6 – Effa Manley Division

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On November 8, 2026

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Philadelphia Stars24-14.632—
Ottawa Mounties19-14.5762.5
Brooklyn Royal Giants20-15.5712.5
Homestead Grays19-17.5284
New York Gothams19-17.5284
Effa Manley Division | 13 May

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Smokey Joe Williams improved to 4-1 with a 3-hit shutout (9 strikeouts, no walks) in a 1-0 win at Ottawa, called by rain in the 6th.

#Homestead Grays

Ricardo Rincón began a rehab assignment.

Andy Van Slyke went 5-for-5 with 2 doubles and scored 4 runs, tying the NL single-game records for both hits and runs, in a 14-2 win over the House of David.

#New York Gothams

Tip O’Neill came off his rehab assignment, and Jimmy Sheckard was optioned to AAA Hartford.

Masahiro Tanaka was named as the 5th member of the Gothams’ rotation.

Mike Norris, 37, the 2000 Reliever of the Year and a fan favorite, will miss 4-5 months, which may be the end of a great 2-plus-year WBL career. Bill Terry was recalled as New York continues to tinker with its 1B/DH options behind Will Clark.

#Ottawa Mounties

Dupee Shaw took Nip Winters‘ spot in the rotation, which paid immediate dividends, as Shaw’s first start was a 4-hit shutout with 9 strikeouts in an 11-0 win over Detroit.

#Philadelphia Stars

The best team in the NL may be getting reinforcements soon, as Bill Gatewood, Ted Kennedy, and Sherry Magee began rehab assignments, and Jack Kralick was recalled from his.

John Clarkson refused an assignment to AAA Norfolk and was designated for assignment.

Kralick was hurt in his first start (6 innings, 1 run in a 2-1 loss to Baltimore) and went right back to the DL for a week, prompting Kennedy’s recall.

And then the Stars shut out the Gothams 3 games running, behind Ray Collins, Hardie Henderson, and Steve Carlton. See the TWIWBL front page for the whole story.

TWIWBL 103.4: Year 3, Week 6 – Cum Posey Division

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On November 7, 2026

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Chicago American Giants21-16.568—
Los Angeles Angels19-19.5002.5
Portland Sea Dogs19-19.5002.5
San Francisco Sea Lions18-18.5002.5
Miami Cuban Giants18-20.4743.5
Cum Posey Division | 13 May

#Chicago American Giants

With Waite Hoyt on the DL, Joe Horlen (yet to allow a run in 20.2 innings of relief) and Ben Sheets moved into the rotation, and Mark Buehrle went to the pen for now. Expect more shakeups once Hoyt returns, but, for once, Chicago seems to be making good choices on the mound. That can’t last, can it?

Horlen went 6 innings in his first start, but took the 1-0 loss against Houston after allowing his first run of the season.

All of that’s alright, but here’s the big news: Frank Thomas began a rehab assignment and is expected to return to the WBL sometime in the next week or so.

#Los Angeles Angels

Dwight Evans began a rehab assignment and was activated later in the week, with Brian Giles heading back to AAA.

José Rijo improved to 2-0, striking out 10 in 5.2 innings in a 3-2 win at Portland.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Alejandro Oms came off his rehab assignment and Don Wilson (7.31 ERA, 6 homeruns in 16 innings) was optioned to AAA. With Oms and Julio Rodríguez both back from brief stints on the DL, the outfield reset, with Yasiel Puig joining those 2. Andy Pafko‘s 306/367/653 start will earn him some playing time, especially against lefties.

Dámaso Marte went to the DL for about a week, with Frank Smith (3.53 ERA over 43.1 AAA innings) recalled from Orlando.

#Portland Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs pulled the trigger at SS, naming Hughie Jennings the starter over Royce Clayton (149/184/319), whose stellar 2001 seems more and more a mirage. More surprisingly, Gil Hodges (185/228/222, but a consistent power source over his career) was optioned to Seattle, and Eddie Yost (370/469/537 at AAA) was recalled.

Walter Johnson (278/325/611) started picking up the odd DH start against right-handers, on top of hitting during his own starts.

Bert Blyleven, Johan Santana, and Jack Billingham combined on a 3-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over the New York Gothams. Yost homered in his first at-bat of the season.

Scott Terry began a rehab assignment.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Red Ehret was recalled, and Tom Brewer (5.53 ERA in 6 starts) was sent down to try to recapture his 2001 form. Tim Hudson came off his rehab assignment, leading to Aaron Heilman being placed on waivers after he refused a trip to AAA.

Jack Clark hit 2 homeruns and drove in 4 in a 7-4 win at Brooklyn.

Lefty Grove improved to 5-1, getting credit for a 2-hit shutout in a 1-0 win at Cleveland, called by rain in the 7th. Grove was matched by the Spiders’ Bob Feller, who allowed only 1 hit, Turkey Stearnes‘ solo homerun in the 1st, and lost.

TWIWBL 103.3: Year 3, Week 6 – Bill James Division

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On November 6, 2026

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Memphis Red Sox25-13.658—
New York Black Yankees23-15.6052
Detroit Wolverines14-23.37810.5
Cleveland Spiders13-22.37110.5
Baltimore Black Sox11-26.29713.5
Bill James Division | 13 May

#Baltimore Black Sox

Bryce Harper launched 2 homeruns in a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Stars.

Gavvy Cravath did the same, but his 2 shots were in vain, coming in an 18-9 loss to Memphis. It wasn’t pretty: Dennis Martínez gave up 8 runs in under an inning, and John Tudor gave up 7 runs while getting exactly 1 batter out. That left the Black Sox down 17-3 after 2 innings.

There was a slight bright spot: Frank Robinson, hitting .208 at the time, hit his first homerun of the year, and added another the following day. Robinson returning to his all-star form would go a long way to salvaging the year in Baltimore.

#Cleveland Spiders

Lance Berkman hit 2 homeruns in what turned into an 11-10 loss against the New York Gothams.

Cy Young, who continues, year over year, to show flashes of potential, struck out 10 without a walk over 7 innings in a 12-5 win over San Francisco.

#Detroit Wolverines

Hal Newhouser improved to 3-2 with 13 strikeouts over 7.1 innings in a 6-4 win over the Houston Colt .45’s.

Jack Wilson began a rehab assignment, although whether he returns to the WBL or not at its end is up in the air.

#Memphis Red Sox

Len Barker began a rehab assignment.

Red Ruffing, Jon Lester, and Bucky Walters combined on a 3-hit shutout in an 8-0 win over the Indianapolis ABC’s. Memphis was powered by David Ortiz‘s 2 homeruns and 5 RBI.

Don Drysdale struck out 10 in 5.2 innings and Ted Williams hit 2 homeruns in a 6-4 loss to the Philadelphia Stars. Then he did it again: 2 more homeruns the next day (his 19th and 20th), as the Red Sox topped the Stars, 9-1.

Memphis scored 8 in the 1st and 9 more in the 2nd in an 18-9 drubbing of Baltimore. John Briggs hit 2 homeruns and drove in 4 in the blowout, which finally saw Memphis give in to Williams‘ nagging to pitch, with the WBL’s best hitter tossing 2 innings, giving up 1 run and 3 walks.

Red Ruffing struck out 11 over 7 innings and drove in 2 of Memphis’s 3 runs himself, with a double and his 1st homerun of the year. But he also took the loss, as the Black Sox prevailed, 4-3.

#New York Black Yankees

Derek Jeter was (finally, according to some) sent down to AAA, with Josh Harrison recalled. Harrison gives the Black Yankees versatility across the infield, and Joe Sewell (319/429/553) looks to become the everyday SS.

Mickey Mantle hit 2 homeruns in a 10-9 loss at Birmingham. Mike Schmidt did the same: 2 homeruns in a losing effort, as Detroit topped the Black Yankees, 8-7.

TWIWBL 103.2: Year 3, Week 6 – Spotlight on the Chicago American Giants

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On November 5, 2026

In TWIWBL

{Each week, we pick one club at random and give them a bit more depth–how they thought the season would go, how it’s going, and what the future might hold.}

Chicago made the playoffs in 2000, lost 89 games last year, and spent most of the offseason acting like 2001 was “for the future.” Six weeks in, they are 21-16 and in first place in the Cum Posey Division, and there are whispers once more of accelerating the timeframe.

But if you look at the table below, the American Giants are doing it mostly with mirrors.

CAGWBL rank2001 rank
Batting average.24112th13th
On-base.30315th12th
Slugging.41813th19th
OPS.72213th18th
Runs scored1873rd18th
Homeruns4612th19th
ERA4.058th11th
WHIP1.259th11th
Strikeouts per 99.2010th19th
Walks per 92.301st6th
Homeruns per 91.249th10th
Chicago American Giants | 13 May

#How We Thought it Would Go

The season preview called 2002 “an evaluation year, shadowed by a franchise player who won’t be back until around June, and watched by a fanbase that has learned a hard lesson.” A patient, on-base lineup built around the Big Four (Eddie Collins, Joe Jackson, Dick Allen, and Frank Thomas) would make do until Thomas returned from his torn ACL.

In the meantime, the worry was the old one: whether the arms Chicago acquired would pull through. Add to that the concerns looming large by the Lake: whether Cristóbal Torriente was really as bad as his 2001, and what could be done about the black hole at shortstop.

#How It’s Going

187 runs scored and 147 allowed. But not a lot of clarity as to exactly how that’s happened.

Joe Jackson (297/355/406) has 2 homeruns after slugging .608 last year. Eddie Collins (216/295/241) has 3 extra-base hits in 131 plate appearances. Kevin Mitchell has a .552 OPS after hitting 23 homeruns and slugging over .700 in 2001.

Indeed, the only true star right now is Chino Smith, whose 290/331/718 line with 15 homeruns looks far more like Dick Allen than Allen’s 278/345/444.

So what’s happening? Travis Jackson, brought over to share SS, has seized the job, adding power and a reliable glove. And Jack Doyle, playing literally everywhere, has a .761 OPS. And, oh yeah, Torriente: 256/309/444 won’t win any awards, but it puts the 19-year-old back on the road to stardom, for sure.

We’ve discussed Torriente and Travis Jackson, so that leaves a single question:

Can Chicago finally find the right arms? So far, yes.

The staff ERA ranks 8th, up from 11th, and nobody in the WBL walks fewer batters. (The raw ERA, 4.05 against last year’s 5.44, is mostly the league settling down.) Waite Hoyt, brought over from the Black Yankees last summer to fix exactly this, was the AL Pitcher of the Month for April and is 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 39.1 innings. Herb Pennock (3-2, 3.53) has made 8 starts, a year after a 9.30 ERA in 20 innings for Chicago. Joe Horlen has allowed 1 earned run in 26.2 innings. And A. J. Minter has 6 saves.

The exception is the ace. Ed Walsh is 1-2 with a 5.67 ERA, but with 40 strikeouts in 33.1 innings, it’s hard to believe that lasts.

Add to that impressive starts to the season from Alex Reyes, Jamie Moyer, and Ben Sheets, and the staff looks quite deep to boot. Pitching can break your heart, but it’s a start.

#The Crystal Ball

Nobody is quite sure if the glass is half full or half empty: the team is underperforming its expected record and the Big Hurt just started his rehab assignment. At the same time, this offense just doesn’t look like a significant offense at the WBL level.

Two things push in opposite directions.

The first is the runs. Scoring 3rd-most in the league on the 13th-best OPS and the 15th-best on-base percentage means Chicago has gotten more out of its hits than its hitting warrants. That kind of gap rarely lasts — hits that bunch together one month scatter the next.

The second is who’s coming back and the luck of the divisional draw. Thomas is 7-for-16 on a rehab assignment at Milwaukee, Hoyt will be back from the DL, and none of the other four clubs in the division is over .500. Still, San Francisco lurks, and there is a long way to go.

#Buy or Sell?

Trading doesn’t open until the All-Star break. But if Chicago is still in first come July, the checkbook will come out, and this franchise’s checkbook has a habit of pointing at the mound.

#Stories

Hurt So Good

Frank Thomas began a rehab assignment at Milwaukee this week and is 7-for-16 there. When he comes back, the at-bats at first base and DH have to come from somewhere, which probably means the end of the line in Chicago for Rule 5 pick Mickey Vernon (141/288/261).

Six Arms, Five Spots

With Hoyt on the DL, Horlen and Ben Sheets moved into the rotation and Mark Buehrle (3-1, 3.98) moved to the pen. Hoyt’s return reopens the question.

The ERA column has an easy answer: Sam Streeter (1-0, 7.50). The rest of his line argues back. Streeter has 40 strikeouts and 5 walks in 30 innings, but has been unable to keep the ball in the park. Buehrle is far less eye-popping, but he has allowed only 1 homerun.

Chicago’s long-running trouble has been picking the right arm. Here’s another chance.

Doyle, Everywhere

Jack Doyle, 22, opened the year as the third catcher. With Carlton Fisk (278/358/458) on the DL, he has caught — and also started at third, short, center and right — and hit (266/293/468) with 5 homeruns in 100 plate appearances. Fisk’s return takes the catching back. The bat will still need somewhere to stand, and Doyle can stand almost anywhere.

#Down on the Farm

The bats worth watching are mostly at Milwaukee, and mostly not young.

Freddie Lindstrom (3B, 21, AAA): 288/318/512 with 7 homeruns in 134 plate appearances at Milwaukee, and an AAA Player of the Week earlier this month. He hit (389/378/736) in a 74-PA cameo in Chicago last year. He’s blocked, essentially, by Dick Allen, but with Mitchell struggling, perhaps Allen goes to DH and Lindstrom gets another look?

Luke Appling (SS, 28, AAA): 337/437/477 in 105 plate appearances, with 16 walks against 10 strikeouts. Two looks in Chicago (241 plate appearances in 2000, 36 last year) didn’t stick. For a club that has had a hole at shortstop for three years running, worth keeping an eye on.

Mike Cameron (CF, 26, AAA): 275/362/435 in 82 plate appearances.

Grady Sizemore (CF, 26, A): 329/452/553 in 104 plate appearances at Kenosha. Loud, but he’s 26 in A-ball.

Hal Janvrin (SS, 20, AA): 297/379/419 in 88 plate appearances at Madison, a year after hitting .207 in A-ball.

On the mound:

Jacob deGrom (P, 25, AAA), the org’s top prospect: a 3.60 ERA in 30 innings at Madison earned a promotion, but the early AAA returns aren’t great (8.2 innings, 8 earned runs).

Wilbur Wood (P, 28, AAA): 6 rough innings in Chicago (13.50, 4 homeruns), then 12 scoreless innings at Milwaukee with 5 saves and no walks. Knuckleballers, amirite?

Ted Lyons (P, 24, AAA): 2.60 in 27.2 innings.

Zack Greinke (P, 20, AA): 4.12 in 19.2 innings at Madison after a promotion from Kenosha.

Tom Williams (P, 20, AAA): 50.1 innings at 20 years old, with a 5.36 ERA.

#One Number

15. Chino Smith‘s homeruns: 15 of his 38 hits, in 140 trips to the plate. He hit 7 in 167 for Chicago last year. He has also struck out 55 times and walked 6, so nobody said it would be pretty — but the most sought-after prospect in the WBL a year ago has blossomed.

TWIWBL 103.1: Year 3, Week 6 – All About the Moundsmen

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On November 4, 2026

In TWIWBL

13 May, 2002

After the offensive explosion of 2001, the pendulum may have swung too far the other way, as the WBL saw 14 shutouts in 66 games this week. The incessant rain contributed, as a few were shortened games, but still.

Most impressively, Kansas City‘s Jock Menefee came within a single out of the first perfect game in WBL history. More detail on that, and the overall pitching dominance, below.

#Awards

Memphis‘s Ted Williams is the AL Player of the Week for the second time this season: 9-for-22 with 5 homeruns, 11 runs, 11 RBI and 7 walks in 6 games, slugging 1.091. He also pitched 2 innings. On the year he’s at 417/537/945 with 20 homeruns and 50 RBI, and is threatening to obliterate all sorts of records.

The NL Player of the Week is Birmingham‘s Eddie Mathews, who went 12-for-23 with 5 homeruns, 9 RBI and 8 runs, slugging 1.217. He came into the week hitting .188 and leaves it at .252, with 12 homeruns. Mathews has never hit for average–if he can maintain even something around .250, he’ll be among the best 3B in the league.

In the minors: Bill Doran (Los Angeles) took the award at AAA Las Vegas, going 13-for-25 with 2 homeruns and 10 RBI; Mike Tiernan (New York Gothams) won at AA Troy, going 7-for-10 with 3 doubles and 2 homeruns; and Kevin Young (Memphis) won at A-ball Pine Bluff, where the 31-year-old first baseman drove in 12 runs in 6 games.

Note that none of them are pitchers. So what’s the big deal on the mound?

#The Big Deal On the Mound

#One Out Away

Jock Menefee, Kansas City’s fifth starter, started against Houston and retired the first 26 batters, striking out 11 on the way and doing it so efficiently that he entered the 9th having thrown only 95 pitches. Carlos Correa grounded out weakly back to the mound and George Brett was Menefee’s 12th strikeout victim, bringing the 40,962 fans in attendance to their feet, holding their collective breath. Jim O’Rourke absolutely smoked the first pitch dealt to him, sending it back the other way at 115 mph and into the outfield for a clean single, releasing a collective moan from the crowd.

That brought Craig Biggio to the plate as the tying run, but he flew out to left to end it.

Menefee’s final line: 9 innings, 1 hit, no walks, 12 strikeouts, 111 pitches. Both Kansas City runs came in the 5th off Stephen Strasburg on a single by Boog Powell and a bases-loaded walk to Albert Pujols.

HOU 0 (Strasburg 3-1) @ KAN 2 (Menefee 2-2)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#The Next Day …

… Roger Clemens and Smokey Joe Wood would face off, and neither team could touch either ace. Clemens and Wood each survived a near-hour-long rain delay to throw 8 scoreless innings (Clemens 4 hits and 6 strikeouts, Wood 3 and 7), and the bullpens took over from there, keeping the game scoreless through the 15th, meaning Houston had now gone 24 innings without scoring against the Monarchs.

In the 16th, pinch-hitter Craig Biggio walked, Jeff Bagwell singled him to third, and Paul Goldschmidt singled him home. That was enough: Houston’s Sparky Lyle closed the game out for his 6th save of the year.

HOU 1 (Kern 1-0; Lyle 6 Sv) @ KAN 0 (Thatcher 0-1) [16 Innings]
HRs: none.
Box Score

#The Stars At Night

No, not more about Houston. Instead, we take a glance at the emergent juggernaut of the Philadelphia Stars‘ staff. The New York Gothams came into the week leading the WBL in scoring at 5.24 runs a game. They left Philadelphia managing only 13 hits over 3 games. And no–zero, nada, zilch–runs.

Philadelphia right now is a staff missing its ace due to Charles Rogan‘s injury. Steve Carlton has stepped right into a leading role, with 5 victories and a sub-3.00 ERA coming into the series.

The opener saw Ray Collins (7 innings, 3 hits) beat New York’s Christy Mathewson, who had been 6-0. Chase Utley‘s RBI triple in the 3rd and Harmon Killebrew‘s 2-run homer (his 12th) in the 6th were all Philadelphia needed, and Ryan Madson and Mark Melancon (his 5th save as he deputizes for the injured Bob Howry) finished the 3-0 win.

The next day Hardie Henderson went the distance: 5 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts, 137 pitches, and no runs allowed in a 6-0 victory. Bill Dickey drove in 4, with a 2-run homer in the 2nd and a 2-run single in a 4-run 7th that Willie Davis capped with his first homerun of the year.

In the finale Carl Hubbell matched Carlton through 6 scoreless innings, but we’ve already revealed how it ends. Utley broke it open with a 2-run homer (his 3rd) in the 7th. Carlton went 8.1 innings (4 hits, no walks, 11 strikeouts, 130 pitches) and joined Mathewson atop the WBL with 6 wins.

NYG 0 (Mathewson 6-1) @ PHI 3 (Collins 2-2; Melancon 5 Sv)
HRs: NYG – none; PHI – Killebrew (12).
Box Score

NYG 0 (Sutton 2-3) @ PHI 6 (Henderson 2-3)
HRs: NYG – none; PHI – Dickey (4), Davis (1).
Box Score

NYG 0 (Raschi 1-2) @ PHI 3 (Carlton 6-1; Melancon 6 Sv)
HRs: NYG – none; PHI – Utley (3).
Box Score

Philadelphia has the best record in the NL, and leads the Effa Manley Division by 2.5 games.

#Performance

#Team Performance

Figured it was time to glance at how the stats were building up at the team level.

First, in a sentence nobody saw coming, Memphis has the best record in the WBL (25-13). They are not doing it with mirrors, sporting the best run differential (+68), leading the league in runs per game (5.71), and in OPS (.813). AND, they lead the league in overall ERA (3.22) and bullpen ERA (2.49). Dominance. Totally unexpected, and, if it holds, a significant message about just how thoroughly a team can be transformed in a single offseason.

On the mound, they are joined by Kansas City, who lead the league in WHIP (1.09) and in BA allowed (a minuscule .210), Houston (2nd-best ERA at 3.25, a full .40 in front of the #3 team) and, perhaps surprisingly, Ottawa (pedestrian-looking numbers, but the second-best FIP in the WBL, behind Kansas City).

Memphis is 2nd in the WBL in homers, trailing–who else–the New York Black Yankees, who have 68 to the Red Sox’s 62. The Big Apple’s 3 teams sit 2-4 in the league in OPS, with the Black Yankees, the Gothams, and the Brooklyn Royal Giants all between .779 and .789.

And then we have the other end of the lists.

Kansas City has hit only 25 homeruns on the year, with Houston and the Birmingham Black Barons the only other teams with under 40. Baltimore is pretty miserable offensively across the board, last in the league in BA (.206, .019 worse than Houston) and OPS (.628, .025 worse than, yes, Houston). Unlike Houston, Baltimore is just bad, last in the league in WHIP (1.45, with Detroit and Birmingham at 1.39 and 1.40), tied with the House of David for last in BA allowed (.264), and last in ERA at 5.42, with only Detroit joining them over 5.00.

#Player Performance

Six weeks in, qualifying is 3.1 plate appearances or 1 inning per team game: about 115 PA and 37 innings.

#Batters

Ted Williams leads the WBL in batting average, on-base, slugging, homeruns, runs, RBI, walks, hits and WAR. Doubles, triples and steals belong to others.

John Briggs (MEM). 238/315/462. 15 2B.
Dan Brouthers (BRK). 374/422/634.
Pete Browning (HOD). 369/420/553. 52 H, 11 SB.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 303/342/690. 16 HR, 38 RBI, 2.4 WAR.
Eric Davis (NYY). 262/373/438. 30 R, 12 SB.
Hank Greenberg (DET). 269/346/504. 4 3B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 226/331/339. 12 SB.
Grant Johnson (NYG). 348/381/674. 48 H, 10 HR, 15 2B.
Joe Morgan (IND). 252/426/411. 32 BB.
Jackie Robinson (BRK). 341/388/541. 16 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 237/387/605. 12 HR, 26 BB.
Chino Smith (CAG). 290/331/718. 15 HR, 35 R, 37 RBI, 2.2 WAR.
Ted Williams (MEM). 417/537/945. 20 HR, 44 R, 50 RBI, 34 BB, 53 H, 3.5 WAR.

#Pitchers

#Starters

Christy Mathewson lost for the first time this year, and Steve Carlton joins him at 6 wins. Charles Radbourn‘s 1.43 ERA leads the league; Dwight Gooden leads in FIP and WAR, despite a 3.80 ERA.

Brett Anderson (HOD). 5-2, 2.49.
Ray Brown (HOM). 2-1, 2.15.
Steve Carlton (PHI). 6-1, 2.50. 61 K.
Dwight Gooden (LAA). 2-2, 3.80. 1.90 FIP, 2.0 WAR.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 5-1, 2.87. 76 K, 59 IP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 3-3, 2.55. 72 K, 0.91 WHIP.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 6-1, 2.93. 70 K, 55 IP.
Jock Menefee (KAN). 2-2, 2.51. 0.81 WHIP, 2.22 FIP.
Charles Radbourn (OTT). 3-1, 1.43. 0.91 WHIP, 2.27 FIP, 1.7 WAR.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 2-3, 3.33. 2.80 FIP, 1.6 WAR.
Tom Seaver (MEM). 3-1, 1.54.
Smokey Joe Wood (KAN). 3-1, 2.32. 54 IP, 0.77 WHIP.

#Relievers

Brian Wilson and Eric Gagné lead with 10 saves each. Detroit’s Mike Henneman has 8, with a 9.82 ERA. Several relievers, led by Memphis’ Tommy de la Cruz (4-0, 1.23), have 4 wins, but aren’t listed below.

Rate stats below require 10 IP, meaning Ottawa’s Billy Koch qualifies without allowing a run so far this year. Both Chicago‘s Joe Horlen (now in the rotation) and Birmingham’s Kerry Ligtenberg were touched for their first runs this past week, but both remain dominant so far.

Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 3.75. 8 Sv.
Jack Billingham (POR). 1-2, 3.46. 8 Sv.
Chad Bradford (DET). 3-2, 3.18. 6 Hld.
Jeurys Familia (LAA). 2-0, 2.45. 6 Hld.
Eric Gagné (BRK). 1-0, 0.64. 10 Sv, 45.5% K.
Mike Henneman (DET). 0-2, 9.82. 8 Sv.
Joe Horlen (CAG). 1-1, 0.34.
Billy Koch (OTT). 1-0, 0.00. 1 Sv, 2 Hld.
Kerry Ligtenberg (BBB). 1-0, 0.47. 1 Sv, 5 Hld.
Ryan Madson (PHI). 2-1, 1.02. 1.02 FIP.
Jeff Pfeffer (LAA). 0-1, 1.47. 8 Sv.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 0.83. 31 K in 21.2 innings.
Vito Tamulis (NYG). 1-1, 5.40. 6 Hld.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-1, 1.46. 10 Sv.

#Hardest Shots

Three balls left the bat at 121 mph this week, all solo homeruns: Mike Schmidt (New York Black Yankees), Paul Molitor (Portland) and Hank Aaron (Birmingham).

The hardest out was Ted Williams‘ 121-mph ground ball to second.

#Longest Homeruns

Kansas City’s Doug Rader hit the second-longest homerun of the season, a 505-foot 2-run shot. Willie McCovey (Cleveland) hit one 485 feet, and Rico Carty‘s grand slam against Memphis went 484.

#Injuries

The Wandering House of David lost Jim Clinton (2.88 ERA over his first 4 starts) for about a year. The Gothams’ Mike Norris, 37 and the 2000 Reliever of the Year, is out 4-5 months. Birmingham lost two relievers for about 3 months each: setup man Akinori Otsuka, and Alejandro Peña, who tore a finger tendon on a rehab assignment.

See the team notes for details and related roster moves.

TWIWBL 102.6: Year 3, Week 5 – Marvin Miller Division

By

On October 18, 2026

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Wandering House of David18-13.581—
Houston Colt .45’s17-14.5481
Kansas City Monarchs16-15.5162
Birmingham Black Barons10-20.3337.5
Indianapolis ABC’s10-20.3337.5
Marvin Miller Division | 6 May

Birmingham Black Barons

Lefty Gomez had struck out 12 against Brooklyn, but left before Birmingham’s comeback that culminated in a 6-5 win over the defending champs.

Bruce Chen is back off the disabled list, with Slim Embrey optioned to make room. Embrey has the stuff to succeed in the WBL, but not the control: until that’s fixed, he’ll stick at AAA.

With Rube Melton injured, Bill Phyle has been named the 5th starter. Phyle was a perfectly serviceable back-end arm over 89 innings last year.

Melton and utility super-sub Jess Barbour have both begun rehab assignments.

Folk hero JP Arencibia — 19 homeruns in 195 trips for the Black Barons last year, on a .220 average — is back in the organization after testing the free-agent market, reporting to AAA Atlanta.

Houston Colt .45’s

Craig Biggio hit 2 solo homeruns in a 9-5 win over Homestead, one in the 6th and one in the 8th, and added a walk, a stolen base and 3 runs scored. Roger Clemens got the win and Tug McGraw his 4th save.

Jim Wynn is out 2 to 3 weeks. Harry Stovey comes up from San Antonio as Houston is forced to cover for 2 starting OFers on the DL.

Indianapolis ABC’s

Eppa Rixey moves into the rotation and Dolf Luque slides to the bullpen — the kind of shuffle Indianapolis makes without much ceremony. Rixey has walked one batter in 17.2 relief innings; Luque’s 4 starts produced 5 homeruns in 19 innings. Behind Padrón and Johnny Cueto, the ABC’s treat the rotation spots as unclaimed until somebody proves otherwise. So far this season, only Doc White has done so.

Ed Swartwood is back off the disabled list, and Pete Rose — who had been holding the corner-outfield reserve seat — accepted an assignment to Indianapolis.

Kansas City Monarchs

Smokey Joe Wood threw 8 shutout innings at Ottawa for a game score of 85, the best start in the WBL this week, and Lee Smith finished a combined 4-hitter. The only run of the game was Stan Musial‘s 2-out solo homerun in the 1st. Wood improved to 3-0 with a 0.69 WHIP.

Boog Powell hit 2 homeruns and drove in 5 in a 9-3 win at Wrigley Field against the House of David. Albert Pujols then hit 2 of his own, but Kansas City lost that one 10-8 after leading 8-4 into the 7th, when Mike Kume gave up 4 runs without recording an out. Kume, who seemed to do it with mirrors last season, was doing fine this year until this pretty disastrous outing.

A. Rube Foster lasted one inning on Saturday, giving up 7 runs on 7 hits, and came out with a hamstring injury that will cost him about a week. Sam Mongin has been recalled from St. Louis as middle-infield cover; he was hitting .296 at AAA.

Earl Hamilton, already on the disabled list, ruptured something in his elbow during a rehab outing and is out about 13 months — a 21-year-old left-hander the Monarchs think a good deal of, and now a 2003 question.

Kansas City is set to give Frankie Frisch more time at 2B, given Kolten Wong‘s struggles. Struggle might be generous: Wong is hitting around .130 on the season.

Wandering House of David

John Beckwith is back off the DL, with Dave Malarcher heading to AAA. With Mark McGwire showing signs of life at DH, look for Beckwith to see more time behind the plate, where he is no worse than others playing there for the House of David.

TWIWBL 102.5: Year 3, Week 5 – Effa Manley Division

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On October 17, 2026

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Philadelphia Stars20-11.645—
Ottawa Mounties18-11.6211
New York Gothams17-12.5862
Brooklyn Royal Giants16-14.5333.5
Homestead Grays14-15.4835
Effa Manley Division | 6 May

Brooklyn Royal Giants

Dick Redding struck out 12 over 7.1 innings in a 7-4 win over Ottawa. Redding allowed only 2 hits, and added a homerun of his own in the victory.

Smokey Joe Williams did much the same thing the next day: 11 strikeouts over 7 innings, a homerun, and a 9-6 win that moved him to 3-1 on the year.

Homestead Grays

Ricardo Rincón goes to the disabled list, and Gary Lucas comes up from Louisville to take the left-handed relief seat.

New York Gothams

Christy Mathewson struck out 11 over 7.2 innings in Indianapolis and won his 6th without a loss, 4-1. It was a 1-0 game until Grant Johnson hit a 3-run homerun with 2 out in the 8th; Brian Wilson closed it for his 7th save.

Tip O’Neill has begun a rehab assignment, offering an intriguing 2-way possibility when he’s recalled.

Ottawa Mounties

Randy Johnson, Kevin Gross, and BJ Ryan combined for a 4-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over Kansas City.

Philadelphia Stars

Harmon Killebrew hit 2 solo homeruns — one to open a 3-run 6th, the second in the 7th for the lead — to finish a 6-5 comeback win over Birmingham. John Clarkson won it in relief and Mark Melancon got the save as he continues to fill in for the injured Bob Howry.

TWIWBL 102.4: Year 3, Week 5 – Cum Posey Division

By

On October 16, 2026

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Chicago American Giants18-12.600—
Portland Sea Dogs16-15.5162.5
Los Angeles Angels15-16.4843.5
Miami Cuban Giants15-16.4843.5
San Francisco Sea Lions15-16.4843.5
Cum Posey Division | 6 May

Chicago American Giants

Chino Smith hit 2 homeruns and drove in 5 in a 6-4 win over Baltimore. The second was a 3-run walk-off. Smith has 13 homeruns on the season, and is showing why he was the most highly sought after prospect in the WBL last year.

Carlton Fisk is out about 2 weeks. Rather than recall a catcher, the American Giants plan to give Jack Doyle the bulk of the starts behind the plate with Jake Stenzel being recalled from his rehab assignment. Dave Nilsson remains the backup catcher, although he will probably see some more action in Fisk’s absence.

Waite Hoyt is also down, but out for about a week. Joe Horlen is the likeliest man to see a spot start. Hoyt has been great–he did win the AL Pitcher of the Month–but Horlen has been nearly unhittable, throwing 20.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to open the year. Mike Fiore was recalled: with Mickey Vernon struggling mightily, the American Giants turned to the 2000 star and 2001 bust of Fiore, hoping to get something out of 1B as they wait for encouraging news on Frank Thomas‘ return.

Miami Cuban Giants

Jim Whitney struck out 12 Wolverines without a walk over 7 innings, but each of the 4 hits he allowed left the yard. Miami won it anyway, 6-5, on Gary Sheffield‘s walk-off double in the 9th. Robin Yount hit 2 solo homeruns in the game.

Cole Hamels then struck out 10 the following afternoon, but Miami fell 3-1 to Detroit.

Whitney did it again in his next start: 6 innings, 3 hits, 10 strikeouts in a 5-1 win over Los Angeles.

Julio Rodríguez is back off the disabled list after 3 weeks, with Mark Kotsay going back to Orlando. Kotsay started hot, but ended up with an OPS barely over .500 in his initial WBL trial.

Alejandro Oms has begun a rehab assignment, meaning the Cuban Giants’ OF may soon be back to full strength.

Portland Sea Dogs

Walter Johnson struck out 10 in a 4-1 loss to Memphis. Johnson gave up 3 homeruns, and hit one himself, his 3rd of the year.

Jerry Blevins, who missed the spring with an injury, is up from Seattle, and Russ Springer heads the other way.

San Francisco Sea Lions

Frank Grant — sporting a .933 OPS at 2B — is out about 2 weeks. Phil Garner and the surprising Bill Russell should split the job in his absence, and Bill Sweeney comes up from San Jose.

Aaron Heilman is back off the DL, with Dennis Eckersley sent to AAA. That leaves Charlie Ferguson as the only long arm in the bullpen, which the Sea Lions will live with for now.

Tim Hudson and Steve Ontiveros have both begun rehab assignments (Hudson would add some bullpen length, Ontiveros would not).

TWIWBL 102.3: Year 3, Week 5 – Bill James Division

By

On October 15, 2026

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Memphis Red Sox20-11.645—
New York Black Yankees18-13.5812
Cleveland Spiders11-17.3937.5
Detroit Wolverines11-20.3559
Baltimore Black Sox8-22.26711.5
Bill James Division | 6 May

Baltimore Black Sox

John Tudor is back from the disabled list, with Mike Mussina heading to AAA after an unimpressive brief return to the WBL.

Cleveland Spiders

Tris Speaker hit 2 solo homeruns in a 4-3 loss to Los Angeles.

Louis Santop is out about a week, and Tucker Barnhart has been recalled from Buffalo. With 37 year old Ed Bailey and John Ellis likely to get most of the starts behind the plate, Cleveland opted for a defensive backstop as the recall.

Willie McCovey hit 2 solo homeruns, the second a game winner, giving Stretch 6 on the year. Aroldis Chapman — who spent April turning leads into wild adventures — struck out the side in the 9th for his first save.

Detroit Wolverines

Sid Fernandez moves into the rotation, replacing the 0-5 Pete Conway, who goes to long relief (with his bat and legs likely to get some use on the side as well). Fernandez has earned the opportunity with a strong start to the season.

Connie Johnson had struck out 10, but ended up without a decision in a 3-1 win over Miami.

In his first start Fernandez struck out 16 Spiders over 6.2 innings, walking one. The 16 whiffs set a league record–which is a bit shocking if you think about it–and even though the Wolverines lost the game, they have to be pleased with what looks like a solid surprise starter.

Wander Franco‘s rehab assignment ended without a recall. Damion Easley has held the flex-infield seat since Franco went down in the first week and keeps it; Franco stays at AAA.

Memphis Red Sox

Ted Williams hit 2 solo homeruns off Walter Johnson — one in the 1st, one in the 3rd — in a 4-1 win over Portland, in support of Don Drysdale, who struck out 9 over 7 innings.

The next day, Tom Seaver, Jon Lester, Rollie Fingers and Andrew Miller combined on a 5-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over the Sea Dogs.

Rick Wilkins went 4-for-5 with a homerun and 2 doubles in a 10-6 win at Baltimore. Andrew Benintendi hit his first of the year and Williams his 15th as part of a 17-hit barrage.

New York Black Yankees

Ron Guidry struck out 12 over 7 innings against San Francisco, but it took 12 innings for the Black Yankees to win the game on a single by Thurman Munson, driving in Ed Charles.

The next afternoon Gaylord Perry and Hoyt Wilhelm combined on a 5-hit shutout, as New York topped the Sea Lions once more, this time 4-0.

Tony Brizzolara struck out 7 in 5 innings, Tony Mullane got the win in relief, Rhéal Cormier got his 2nd hold, and Goose Gossage closed it out as the 4 New York pitchers combined on a 4 hit shutout against Chicago for a 3-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader.

In the nightcap, Rogers Hornsby hit 2 homeruns, Babe Ruth and Don Mattingly added longballs of their own, Joe Sewell reached five times, and Lou Gehrig singled home the winner in the 10th in a 12-11 win for the Black Yankees.

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