May 26
There were no series sweeps in Series XIII, and half the matchups resulted in 2 game splits, leading most of the divisions to drawing closer together.
The best teams in the WBL continue to surprise, with only two teams playing over .600 ball: the Baltimore Black Sox lead the way at 35-19 and the Portland Sea Dogs are at 34-20. Baltimore leads the Cumberland Posey Division by 6 games; Portland is atop the Marvin Miller Division by 5.5. The other two divisions are much closer, with the Los Angeles Angels, New York Gothams, and Detroit Wolverines all within 1 game in the Bill James Division (the Angels lead the way at 29-25) and the New York Black Yankees ahead of the Philadelphia Stars by 3 in the Effa Manley Division.
Only 1 team–the Miami Cuban Giants–is playing under .400 ball, with Florida’s team managing only 21 wins so far on the season.
After a few weeks of trying, the WBL has its first two 7 game winners, with Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole and Baltimore’s Dennis Martinez both reaching that mark.
Martinez has probably surpassed Walter Johnson as the best pitcher in the league right now, and the Black Yankees’ Ron Guidry is the only starter ranking 1st or 2nd in four major statistical categories.
Two closers, Aroldis Chapman of Miami and Joe Beggs of the Memphis Red Sox, have yet to give up a run in roughly 13 innings each.
Reggie Jackson‘s run at the triple crown continues: he leads the league in BA and OBP and is fifth in SLG. Jackson’s performance may be the most surprising, but catcher Louis Santop leading the league in triples has to be close, as is the continued excellence from Curt Blefary.
All that said, the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth continues to be the most valuable offensive player in the league, followed closely by the centerfielder for the cross-town Gothams, Willie Mays.
Performances
Top Starting Pitchers.
| Name | Tm | W-L | ERA | Other |
| Dennis Martinez | BAL | 7-1 | 3.16 | 1.11 WHIP |
| Gerrit Cole | LAA | 7-3 | 4.04 | |
| Don Drysedale | BRK | 4-2 | 2.71 | |
| Ron Guidry | NYY | 5-4 | 3.23 | 1.13 WHIP; 86 K |
| Walter Johnson | POR | 6-1 | 3.58 | 2.5 WAR |
| Luke Hamlin | KAN | 3-4 | 3.92 | 2.1 WAR |
| Lefty Grove | SFS | 5-2 | 3.23 | 77 K |
Top Relievers.
| Name | Tm | W-L | ERA | Sv | Hld | WHIP |
| Johan Santana | POR | 1-1 | 3.00 | 17 | ||
| Bob Howry | PHI | 1-2 | 4.58 | 14 | ||
| Aroldis Chapman | MIA | 0-2 | 0.00 | 9 | ||
| Joe Beggs | MEM | 0-0 | 0.00 | 8 | ||
| Ron Reed | PHI | 0-2 | 2.83 | 2 | 11 | |
| Craig Kimbrel | KAN | 1-1 | 3.09 | 8 | ||
| Ned Garvin | BAL | 5-1 | 2.09 | 2 | 0.87 |
Top Batters.
| Name | Tm | Slash | Other |
| Reggie Jackson | SFS | 376/485/643 | |
| Willie Mays | NYG | 354/408/561 | 75 H; 2.8 WAR |
| Mike Epstein | HOM | 333/437/549 | |
| Babe Ruth | NYY | 325/427/685 | 19 HR; 48 R; 52 RBI; 3.0 WAR |
| Curt Blefary | BAL | 288/402/660 | 16 HR |
| Frank Thomas | CAG | 353/430/607 | 71 H |
| Rico Carty | PHI | 352/415/560 | 20 2B |
| Louis Santop | CLE | 316/346/513 | 8 3B |
| Eric Davis | NYY | 284/339/552 | 54 RBI |
| Jimmy Sheckard | NYG | 309/418/470 | 41 R |
| Rickey Henderson | SFS | 236/392/315 | 45 BB; 39 SB |
| Tim Raines | OTT | 292/377/458 | 37 SB |
Streaks
The Homestead Gray‘s Roberto Clemente has hit in 14 straight games, Baltimore’s Dan McGann has scored in 9 straight, and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble as hit a homerun in his last 3 games.
While there aren’t many hitting streaks of note, the Black Yankees’ Thurman Munson has reached base in 26 straight games, the Ottawa Mounties‘ Terry Puhl in 23, and the Gothams’ Jimmy Sheckard in 22.
Baltimore’s Ned Garvin hasn’t allowed a run in 15 innings, and his teammate Dennis Martinez has had 5 consecutive quality starts, as has the Kansas City Monarchs‘ Andy Pettite.
The Brooklyn Royal Giants‘ Raul Mondesi was an early season surprise, but the bloom is off the rose: he’s struggling at 115/164/135 over his last 14 games. Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson–122/170/134 over 35 games–is easily the coldest hitter in the WBL, to the point he’s no longer in the WBL, having been optioned to AAA.
Series XIII Results
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XIII
Baltimore over Cleveland Spiders
Brooklyn over Homestead
New York Gothams over Indianapolis ABCs
Los Angeles over Miami
Portland over Wandering House of David
Splitting Series XIII 2-2
Chicago @ Birmingham
New York Black Yankees @ Detroit
Kansas City @ Ottawa
Memphis @ Houston
San Francisco @ Philadelphia