| Team | W/L | Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Spiders | 62-47 | .569 | — |
| New York Black Yankees | 63-50 | .558 | 1 |
| Detroit Wolverines | 53-58 | .477 | 10 |
| Memphis Red Sox | 52-59 | .468 | 11 |
| Baltimore Black Sox | 49-62 | .441 | 14 |
#Baltimore Black Sox
Needing to shake things up, Baltimore has moved into full “let’s see what we have for next year” mode. Johnny Sain and Bill Byrd were sent to AAA with Mark Baldwin and Rafael Betancourt being recalled. Betancourt will hit the bullpen, with Joe Beggs being moved from closer to starter for the Black Sox. Buddy Groom–Baltimore’s best reliever this year–will move into the closer spot.
Perhaps more importantly, wunderkind Eddie Murray was recalled, with Baby Doll Jacobson, who has struggled all season, being sent down. This likely puts Dan McGann on the trade market, as Murray isn’t being recalled to ride the pines.
Gavvy Cravath went deep twice, and Baltimore held on to an impressive 6-5 win over San Francisco.
Betancourt’s stay was short, as a sore elbow will move him to the DL, with Gregg Olson being recalled to the Black Sox bullpen.
#Cleveland Spiders
Evan Longoria hit 2 out and drove in 5, leading the Spiders to a 12-4 win over Baltimore. It wasn’t all good news for Cleveland, though, as Ron Blomberg sprained his ankle in the game, earning Boomer a trip to the DL. Cleveland recalled 33 year old Willie McCovey, one of the dominant AAA power hitters of the season, to see if he can add to their power for the stretch run.
McCovey had a nice debut, homering in his first WBL at bat and adding a single as the Spiders topped Baltimore, 10-4.
#Detroit Wolverines
Hank Greenberg went deep twice and drove in 5 as Detroit rode a strong outing from Pete Conway in a 14-2 victory over the Black Yankees. It wasn’t all good news for Detroit: Tony Lazzeri, who had essentially laid claim to the SS job, had to leave the game with a yet-to-be diagnosed injury.
It got worse in the middle infield as the Wolverines, still waiting to hear about the severity of Lazzeri’s ailment, lost George Davis for a few weeks. Davis hits the DL with Ray Chapman earning the promotion to Detroit.
It turns out Lazzeri has a fractured rib and will miss about a month, so he heads to the DL with Robby Thompson being recalled.
#Memphis Red Sox
Ted Williams hit 2 homeruns, but the Red Sox bullpen couldn’t hold a lead, and Memphis fell to Chicago, 8-6 in 11 innings.
#New York Black Yankees
Dave Righetti was recalled from a rehab assignment, with David Robertson heading to AAA. For now, Righetti will work out of the Black Yankees’ bullpen. But the back end of their rotation is pretty unsettled, with Red Ruffing and Pascual Pérez far from solid in their roles.
Don Mattingly went deep twice and Babe Ruth added his league-leading 52nd of the year as the Black Yankees came from behind to trounce Miami, 14-7. Eric Davis, who also homered, had 4 hits, as did Mattingly and Ruth drove in 5 in the win.
The Black Yankees hit 6 homeruns, 2 from Lou Gehrig, as they topped Miami, 14-5.
Rogers Hornsby began a rehab assignment, which will most likely be quite brief.
The Black Yankees’ staff is in a bit of upheaval, as both Pérez and Rheal Cormier left games with injuries. Pérez will miss a couple weeks, while Cormier’s injury is still under investigation. Roy Evans was promoted to take Pérez’ place on the active roster.