We have a new defensive metric for outfielders: ARM, which is an estimate of the number of runs saved (or allowed) from their throwing arms.

#S Tier

I do feel sorry for Kal Daniels–that is a stupendous season right there, and he has no shot at being the best LF in the AL, not with Babe Ruth around. And Frank Robinson is the youngest of the trio, which speaks volumes for the future in Baltimore.

#A Tier

Seems strange to have only 1 name here, but there is clear separation between Robinson and Ted Williams (the only thing Williams does better is take walks), and when defense is factored in, this makes sense.

#B Tier

An interesting mix of useful players. Rickey Henderson is electric, for sure, but until he hits a bit more, he’s not elite and the other 4 are just dependable and solid, although it could be argued that Jim Wynn is a tier too high.

#C Tier

These are all solid players with a question mark in their game, usually revolving around a lack of power. There’s nothing wrong with this group, but they are, at this point, complimentary pieces not cornerstones.

Note that Alejandro Oms, Sherry Magee, and Tim Raines are so young that being here really puts them on a great trajectory.

#D Tier

The only thing separating Bob Bescher from Raines is playing time, so perhaps he belongs up one Tier alongside The Rock? And this may be a bit unfair to Ducky Medwick, but the statistical metrics really ding him for not being willing to take a walk.

#F Tier

There is some talent here, but nowhere near the offensive production to hold down a roster spot in the WBL.

#Rookies

Juan Beníquez (C Tier), Elliott Maddox (D Tier), and Kiki Cuyler (F Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Assists (A), more romantically referred to as Outfield Kills are runners eliminated on the bases. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

We have a half-dozen A-Tier performances, but no really clear demarcation between those and the lower ranks, and then another half-dozen C-Tier performers struggling to prove they deserve their place in the league.

And, oh yeah, a couple superlative players and a few true duds.

Balance?

#S Tier

These top 2 are clear, as is the likelihood that 3B isn’t Albert Pujols‘ final position.

Obviously, you would rather build around Pujols given his age, but Ron Cey really did have a season for the ages, a key cog in Brooklyn’s championship team.

#A Tier

I don’t know what to do with any of these guys.

Evan Longoria is the biggest surprise here, moving from a struggle to find playing time to a legit power threat for a playoff team. Richie Hebner has the highest OPS, but played under 100 games, so he may even belong in the B Tier. And where is the line? There’s roughly a 50 point gap in OPS in this group, but are you really going to argue that Mike Schmidt isn’t an A Tier player?

Yah, me neither.

Jimmie Foxx played more at 3B than 1B, although perhaps he shifts across the diamond as time goes by.

#B Tier

All solid performers, each with a significant weakness: Dick Allen and Andy Van Slyke are weak defensively (that’s not quite fair to Van Slyke, who looks excellent in the OF, just not at the hot corner) and Eddie Mathews‘ inability to make contact works against his immense power.

#C Tier

Perhaps Adrían Beltré‘s defense should move him up (and perhaps Ron Santo‘s should move him down), but I’m good with this for now. Sal Bando isn’t a fulltime player, but his offense sure makes that argument. It’s hard to see a world where Beltré and Wade Boggs don’t improve, and at 21 Santo should, as well.

#D Tier

This may be a little unfair to Buddy Bell, who is fantastic with the glove and improved as the season went on.

This may be a little unfair to Chris Sabo: that’s a lot of offense to relegate to the D Tier.

#F Tier

Doug Rader was in the MVP conversation last year, now he truly belongs here. Ouch. George Brett, on the other hand, overcame a miserable start to the season, and seems very likely to move dramatically up this list.

#Rookies

Jimmie Foxx (A Tier) and Chris Sabo (D Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

Los Angeles is the only team not represented (Bobby Grich is listed with the 2B, nobody else played enough at SS for the Angels).

#S Tier

WAR would put Carlos Correa and Arky Vaughan here, perhaps even above Ernie Banks. But WAR ain’t everything, and getting the kind of power Banks provides from a SS is very special, even if his defense is not. For me, it’s Banks, and then a cluster of quality in the A Tier.

#A Tier

These are all surprises: Carlos Correa to be here at all (and only a late season slump kept him from giving Banks a run for his money), Cal Ripken, Jr to be here this quickly, and Arky Vaughan to have blossomed both with the glove and the bat.

Of the three, I would expect Ripken to have the best shot at moving up.

#B Tier

This gets a little more complicated. Does Álex Rodríguez‘ offense warrant a nudge up? How about Dick Lundy‘s combination of speed and defense? In the end, they stay here with Robin Yount, who is just as solid as they come across the board. All three of these could move up merely by adding 25 walks a season, but they’re all pretty free swingers.

#C Tier

There is an argument that Dobie Moore and/or Judy Johnson should move up a level, given their offensive output and their age. At the same time, neither played a full season, so it seems prudent to leave them here.

Had Bobby Wallace been healthy all season, he certainly would have warranted a spot in the B Tier for his mix of OBP and defense, while Jim Fregosi seems to barely warrant a slot here, especially considering his shaky defense. But these are all legit starting SS’s in the league, so the C Tier seems about right (although Homestead’s decision about how to structure their infield may move Johnson away from SS).

#D Tier

Speaking of Homestead, Honus Wagner may in fact deserve to be knocked down. But he has power, a fair bit of speed, and just so much athleticism. But whether he ends up at 2B, SS, or 3B is yet to be seen.

Ozzie Smith is a hard one to evaluate, as it’s not clear if his defense and speed should move him here, or all the way up to C Tier. In the end, we decided to be conservative in our evaluation of defensive contributions.

#F Tier

Derek Jeter‘s offense is probably D Tier, but those defensive numbers are quite bad, nudging him down a category. Brandon Crawford may be done entirely, and Freddy Parent, even considering his glovework, is just a massive bust since being obtained by Chicago.

#Rookies

Cal Ripken, Jr. (A Tier), Judy Johnson (C Tier), and Dobie Moore (C Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

#S Tier

Nobody would have predicted Roberto Alomar as the best 2B in the game before the season began, but here we are. Alomar was truly superlative, putting him in the running for the All Rounder Award, even. Alomar’s WAR of 4.9 easily outpaced the rest of the field at 2B, and perhaps the only knock on him is that he led the league with 14 errors, however he also played more innings at 2B than anybody else.

Even with all that, Joe Morgan may have edged Alomar for the top spot if he had remained healthy: he got on base more often and showed more power, and is expected to be back at full strength for Spring Training

#A Tier

Jackie Robinson spent some time elsewhere early in the season, but settled down at 2B for the champions, and won the Whirled Series with a memorable walkoff blast. While Ryne Sandberg faded a little as the season moved along (he lead the WBL in homers at one early point), this is still more than enough to cement his spot as a star in the league, especially when his defense is considered.

#B Tier

Eddie Collins was a borderline MVP candidate last year, and the first recipient of the All Rounder Award, and Bobby Grich wasn’t all that far behind him. This year, a 50 point drop in slash line across the board moves them into this space, where their starting jobs are safe, but they’re really in danger of no longer being considered elite. An argument could be made that Rogers Hornsby still belongs in the A Tier, but his age and defensive weakness moves him here.

Larry Doyle barely made the usage requirement for the list, which moves him down a tier and, at 35, it’s unclear how much he has left in the tank. Still, in hindsight, he clearly should have started at 2B for the Gothams all season.

Miller Huggins may not belong here, but we’re a sucker for players with 150 point spreads between their BA and OBP, and he’s clearly locked down the starting role in Baltimore. Add his defensive metrics, and we’re fine with him in this group.

Chase Utley‘s incredible defense moves him into this tier–his offensive performance alone would leave him in the C Tier.

#C Tier

Paul Molitor‘s future is not at 2B, but to succeed anywhere else, he’ll need to up the offensive production–indeed, he is perhaps being flattered through his inclusion here.

DJ LeMahieu and Frank Grant barely made the list’s usage requirement, leaving Charlie Gehringer as the only obvious C Tier second baseman.

And then there is the enigma that is Martín Dihigo. He played mostly at 2B, but logged a ton of innings elsewhere, at a gold glove level everywhere. Add in his age, his massive jump in offensive performance, and his speed, and you could argue he belongs a tier above.

#D Tier

Craig Biggio has more upside–and clearly had the better year–but either he or Chuck Knoblauch could, surprisingly, see the bench next year. Both were significantly better last year, with Knoblauch being an All Star, so there is some reason for optimism as well.

Ray Dandridge‘s future in Brooklyn is probably at SS, but he played most this season at 2B, so he’s listed here. Obviously, the offense needs to improve for his career to stabilize.

Tommy Helms is a utility infielder at best, forced onto this list by Morgan’s injury.

#F Tier

An interesting group, honestly. Cupid Childs has gone from being a rising star to losing his starting job with the arrival of Bobby Grich; Napoleon Lajoie‘s 55 doubles speak to his potential, and Cookie Rojas is quite versatile, although, of this group, perhaps the most expendable for his team.

Note Childs’ OBP: his speed and ability to get on base should preserve his having utility in the WBL somewhere.

And then we have the misery that is Kansas City, with both Robinson Canó and Frankie Frisch buried here (although, to be fair, Frisch is a utility infielder and has value as such). And, Tommy Herr, who was supposed to be the long-term solution at 2B for New York, but whose performance prompted the acquisition of Hornsby by the Black Yankees.

#Rookies

Charlie Gehringer (C Tier) and Frank Grant (C Tier).

#Fielding Notes

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

This group is totally dominated by the AL, with no NL first baseman showing up until the B Tier.

We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.

Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.

#S Tier

That’s right, none. Maybe Jim Thome belongs here? Lou Gehrig certainly does, but he played primarily as a DH this season. S Tier is supposed to be hard, and a simple 1.000 OPS doesn’t automatically grant entry.

#A Tier

This comes down to the choice between Thome and Hank Greenberg, and there’s not much to choose from between them. Note how bad this group is defensively–it just doesn’t matter much when you’re mashing the ball like this.

Frank Thomas‘ injury must be noted, with the Big Hurt expected to be out well into next season.

#B Tier

Paul Konerko‘s defense may actually move him up into the group above, but in general the gap between this group and, say, Jack Clark, remains significant. Additionally, Konerko barely played enough in the field to qualify here–as a DH, there’s no chance he moves up a tier.

David Ortiz‘ performance probably shifts him up a level, but limited appearances and a fair bit of time at DH keeps him here for now. The same argument could be made for Anthony Rizzo and Dan Brouthers. For both, we have erred on the side of caution.

#C Tier

Mirroring the top group, all of this great defense leaves this trio as solid, respectable starters, but not much better than that. Dan McGann is actually pretty much done, with Baltimore already declaring Eddie Murray next year’s starter, but Boog Powell and Joey Votto should keep seeing action for a few more seasons at least.

#D Tier

Homestead may be looking to move on from Mike Epstein given this season’s struggles, while Ottawa believes Rusty Staub will improve dramatically. Memphis has already indicated that Bill White has lost his job to Ortiz (see above). Don Mattingly and Adrián González are both conundrums: the swing is sweet, but the production is not, and both are preventing higher output players from time in the field.

#F Tier

Pedro Guerrero played most at 1B, but also saw action at 3B and the OF. Regardless, this is not the offensive performance the Royal Giants were looking for when they obtained him. Ted Kluszewski is likely to lose his starting job next season.

#Rookies

David Ortiz (B-Tier).

Overall, this is an NL dominant position for sure.

For the defensive stats, FRM is Framing Runs, a measure of how many runs were saved through handling the glove and RTO% is the % of runners thrown out. For these, the 3 best performers are in bold; the 3 worst in italics.

#S Tier

Josh Gibson was the best player in the NL, making him the de facto best catcher. But Gary Carter‘s season cannot be ignored. Just because there is a massive gap between 2 players (Gibson has, for example, an 11.4 to 5.5 edge in WAR) doesn’t mean both can be S-Tier. Just about the only edge Carter has is defensively, where his significantly stronger arm shines.

#A Tier

Jim Pagliaroni and Ed Bailey were each slightly less than full time players, but catching is hard, and we are more forgiving of that here.

Still, Mike Piazza would top this list and clearly (especially if you give weight to his monstrous postseason this year) has the best chance of moving up, as it’s not clear how many seasons Bailey has left and Pagliaroni–especially when his defensive ineptitude is considered–may actually belong 1 group lower.

In saying that, I continue an honored WBL tradition of not really giving Buster Posey his due. The metrics love him, as he is 3rd overall in WAR at 4.4 and clearly a better defensive catcher than the rest of this group. But his raw OPS is 40 points lower than Pagliaroni and he suffers from playing for the Gothams.

Which mean Ed Bailey is the best catcher in the AL right now, although Posey and some of the younger backstops from lower tiers may be preferred if you were building a team from scratch.

#B Tier

A good argument could be made that Johnny Bench belongs in the tier above, especially if we are giving any weight at all to his Year 1 performance, but his offense just fell off so much–the power remained, but little else. Still, the assumption is he will bounce back.

There is something off with Curt Blefary, but the team is remaining mum so far. Still rumors of him and alcohol abound, raising a question of how long he can keep up his production.

Gabby Hartnett and Mickey Cochrane are both incredibly solid, and Cochrane’s defensive masterclass in the Whirled Series did nothing but enhance his reputation.

Gentleman Jim O’Rourke‘s value is largely from his defensive versatility, but he did play more innings at C than anywhere else (which speaks more to Jorge Posada‘s ineptitude than anything else).

#C Tier

These are all solid starters, and none of their jobs are really in question (other than, perhaps, Ernie Lombardi, who just looks like someone who will always come off the bench). But none of them really catch the eye, either. Joe Mauer and Thurman Munson were much better last season, so there is hope they return to form and Pudge Rodríguez, of course, is absolutely spectacular defensively. But even with his cannon of an arm, he’ll need to add some more offense to edge up the list.

#D Tier

Elrod Hendricks, quite good for the House of David last year, lost his starting job this year, despite retaining a decent power bat. Posada is clearly on his way out, and will likely spend next season as Houston’s backup catcher, while Mike Scioscia is likely to fill the same role for Philadelphia.

#F Tier

I mean, maybe Hendricks and Posada belong here? Certainly the total mess of a situation in Los Angeles does–which brings up the challenge of the F Tier in general: if you play that poorly, you’re probably going to be moved out.

John Ellis is really more of a pinch-hitter, spending roughly half his time at 1B as well. The occasional power is useful, but he’s not a starter at either position. Seeing him and Louis Santop (one of last year’s darlings, and still a highly regarded prospect given his tender age of 20) here makes Cleveland’s decision to acquire Ed Bailey quite obvious.

#Rookies

None. The best rookie catcher in the league was Philadelphia’s Bill Dickey, but he didn’t play enough to qualify here.

In reality, MLB posted a .759 OPS in 2001 with an aggregate 264/335/427 slash line. The WBL slashed 261/336/506 for an .842 OPS. And therein lies the problem: the rest of the line is fine, the .080 increase in SLG is … a lot, and is responsible for about a .65 increase in runs per game (4.96 in historical 2001, 5.60 in the WBL Year 2).

This resulted in 2001 owning virtually every single season batting record: only Mike Trout‘s 131 singles in Year 1 survived the onslaught. Everything else came this season.

And, a couple of the marks eclipsed the MLB historical records:

Total Bases: 492, Ty Cobb (DET). Obliterates Babe Ruth‘s mark of 457 in 1921.
Doubles: 72, Ty Cobb (DET). Earl Webb had 67 in 1931.

And, of course, Ruth tied Barry Bonds‘ 2001 homerun record of 73.

So that’s not horrible: Ty Cobb had a stunning year, and I can’t be made at Cobb and Ruth peppering the record book (nor, honestly, at Josh Gibson‘s .400 average, a WBL record).

But I would like to see about 3/4 of a run per game to disappear …

And, of course, if we have record breaking frequencies of homeruns, someone has to be giving up all those taters. Thirteen hurlers gave up more than the MLB record 50 homeruns, with CC Sabathia (64) and Cole Hamels (63) being absolutely rocked throughout the season.

At the team level we had similar issues:

• Kansas City’s 444 doubles are 20% more than the historical mark set by the 2004 Boston Red Sox.
• And then there are homeruns: only 6 teams had fewer than the all time ream record of 307, shared by the 2019 Twins and the 2023 Braves.
• In a bit of a shock, San Francisco’s 393 steals top the all time record of 347 by the 1922 New York Giants.
• Unsurprisingly, 5 teams eclipsed the .872 OPS record of the 1927 New York Yankees.

These all had equivalents on the mound, where the all-time historical runs allowed and homeruns allowed records were shattered in the WBL this year.

Look, all of this is a little bit of nit-picking: the league was competitive, and I totally expect off the charts performances in a league peppered with all-time great players. But 18 players with 50+ homeruns is just too many, even if most of the names range from yeah, he did that to ok, in this league that’s plausible.

I mean the whole Ron Blomberg fiasco is still out there, but that will be the topic of another post …

The wheel turns as the wheel will …

With Brooklyn‘s surprising Whirled Series win, we immediately head into the offseason. This week, we’ll be focusing on a few things:

• An overall review of the year, focusing on the statistical performance in the league; and
• A position-by-position review of the league, as we try to figure out who should qualify for the various awards; and

We’ll hit the Awards themselves next week.

If there is other news that happens, we’ll make note of it here; but otherwise this is just a short introductory post as we kick off the off-season.

#Parity

It’s only been 2 years, but the parity in the league so far is encouraging. Only 2 teams–the Cleveland Spiders and the Detroit Wolverines–have made the playoffs each season. 3 of the worst teams last year (Kansas City, Miami, and Philadelphia) were in the playoff hunt (and, in the Stars’ case, made it), leaving Memphis, Ottawa, and Los Angeles as the teams without a true sniff of the postseason either year.

They’ve had a day off, but we’ll see how the 12 inning affair in game 2 affects both of these staffs.

#Game 3, Tue Oct 25.

18 game winner Bump Hadley will take the mound for San Francisco, while Don Drysedale will get the start in front of the home team.

Jimmie Foxx continued a solid postseason with a solo shot in the 2nd inning, which was all the scoring through 3. If anyone had dominated the game, it was San Francisco’s Mickey Cochrane, who had gunned down 3 runners on the basepaths, keeping Brooklyn from mounting a threat.

Two walks, 2 steals, and a single loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the 4th, but Drysedale essentially escaped: one run scored on a sacrifice fly from Turkey Stearnes, but Foxx grounded into a hard double play, leaving the score 2-0, Sea Lions.

Hadley ran into a similar situation in the bottom of the 5th: 2 walks and a hit batsmen loaded the bases with no outs for Duke Snider. Brooklyn took advantage, however: a sacrifice fly scored the first run, a bases loaded walk to John Briggs the second, and then a Dan Brouthers double scored 3 more, sending the home crowd into a frenzy: the Royal Giants led 5-2 at the end of 5.

A solo shot from Reggie Jackson chased Drysedale and narrowed the gap to 2 runs at 5-3. Brooklyn restored the 3 run edge on a solo shot from Roy White in the 6th.

Cochrane continued to put on a clinic, erasing six–SIX–runners on the basepaths and even inspiring Mike Piazza to throw someone out.

Frank Knauss has taken being pulled out of the rotation in the offseason as a challenge: here, he struck out the first 5 batters he faced in relief of Drysedale before giving up a single to Dick Lundy leading off the 8th. That summoned Trevor Hildenberger from the pen, who was brilliant during the season, but had been battered in the postseason so far. But here, he was effective, keeping San Francisco off the board, and reducing the Royal Giants’ focus to 3 remaining outs.

Brooklyn extended their lead, flexing their longball muscles: Piazza and White went deep back-to-back in the bottom of the 8th. So the Royal Giants took a 9-3 edge to the top of the 9th. The extra runs had an added importance, as they may allow Brooklyn to rest Eric Gagne, with Terry Forster being brought in for the top of the frame.

And Forster closed it out, putting San Francisco in the hardest of spots, down 3-0.

Brouthers had 3 hits, driving in 3, and both Piazza and White 2 hits and 2 RBIs each. But the real story was a solid start from Drysedale and superlative work from the bullpen: Knauss recorded 5 outs, all strikeouts, and Hildenberger and Forster closed it out allowing only a walk between them.

And, without Cochrane’s heroics, it would have been worse: he finished the game with a WBL record 8 assists.

SFS 3 (Hadley 2-1) @ BRK 9 (Drysdale 201; Knauss 1 H; Hildenberger 5 H)
HRs: SFS – Foxx (7), Jackson (8); BRK – White 2 (5), Piazza (12).
Box Score

#Game 4, Fri Oct 26

This is just so shocking … Brooklyn, at home, with a 3-0 lead in the Whirled Series. Here we go.

The Royal Giants would turn to Fernando Valenzuela, holding to their 4 man rotation, while the Sea Lions would start Tommy Bridges, with everyone available in their bullpen.

Once again the Sea Lions struck first, when doubles from Turkey Stearnes and Jimmie Foxx were followed by a homerun from Bobby Bonds. When the dust settled, San Francisco held a 4-0 early lead. Jack Clark would double home another in the 3rd, and the Sea Lions would plate their 6th run on a sac fly.

A solo shot from Reggie Jackson in the 5th would chase Valenzuela, and the Sea Lions would add 2 more in the 6th against recently recalled Dick Redding.

Meanwhile, Bridges was rolling, only losing the shutout in the bottom of the 6th on solo homers from John Briggs and Ron Cey. A single by Mike Piazza chased Bridges with a 9-2 lead.

Each team scored some more, but the game was settled. So San Francisco only needs to do this 3 more times.

Bonds, Foxx, Clark, and Rickey Henderson all had 2 hits in a balanced attack for the Sea Lions. As importantly, none of their main starters had to work out of the bullpen, setting them up decently for the next (and hopefully later) games.

SFS 13 (Bridges 1-0) @ BRK 4 (Valenzuela 0-1)
HRs: SFS – Bonds (6), Jackson (9); BRK – Briggs (2), Cey (6).
Box Score

#Game 5, Sat Oct 27

Smokey Joe Williams, so impressive in game one, will take the hill for Brooklyn, with San Francisco’s ace, Lefty Grove, trying to keep the series alive.

Pedro Guerrero will get a rare start for the game for Brooklyn, adding another right handed bat to their mix as they try to clinch the title.

Jackie Robinson took Grove deep in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead for the home team. San Francisco would tie it in the 3rd on a single by Bobby Bonds, who then stole 2nd and 3rd before scoring on a sac fly from Dick Lundy, but the Royal Giants regained the lead immediately on a solo shot from Beals Becker. Another sacrifice fly, this one from Turkey Stearnes, would tie the game in the 4th, 2-2.

Guerrero came through in the bottom of the frame with a 2 out single, scoring Piazza. Another run scored on a wild pitch, and another on a single by Ray Dandridge, taking Grove out of the game. After 4 innings, Brooklyn was up, 5-2.

Reggie Jackson drove in 1 in the top of the 5th.

A single and a walk in the top of the 6th led to Williams’ departure, with Frank Knauss coming in for the final out of the inning, preserving Brooklyn’s 2 run edge, 5-3. Knauss was touched for a solo shot by Rickey Henderson in the 7th, but that was it: we had a 1 run game with Brooklyn needing 6 more outs.

Terry Forster retired 3 straight in the top of the 8th. 3 outs.

And in comes Eric Gagne. Frank Grant lined to first, but a Dick Lundy single put the tying run on base with the top of the order coming up for San Francisco in the form of Henderson. Lundy swiped second, but Rickey struck out. So here we are, the Sea Lions’ catcher, Mickey Cochrane, defensively dominant all series, against Gagne.

It’s a hard ball to the right side that slides under Robinson’s glove, with Lundy coming home to tie the game! Gagne would whiff Jackson, but the damage had been done, and we were, for the second time this series, headed to extra innings.

Trevor Hildenberger took over for Brooklyn in the top of the 10th and walked Jack Clark. Jim Devlin replaced Clark at first, but was cut down trying to steal with 2 outs.

John Briggs led off the bottom of the 10th with a double, and was replaced by the speedier George Hendrick. Cochrane would do it again, however, nailing Hendrick as he tried to swipe 3rd.

It didn’t matter: Jackie Robinson would take Rod Beck deep for his 2nd homerun of the day, and a walkoff, Whirled Series clinching shot over the right-centerfield wall!

And the Royal Giants have shocked the baseball world, taking the Whirled Series from the heavily favored San Francisco Sea Lions, 6-5 in 10 innings!

Robinson had 2 hits–the 2 homers–and Guerrero paid back the trust shown him with 2 hits as well but again this was mostly a story of the Royal Giants’ bullpen as, despite the run allowed by Gagne, they brought the series home.

SFS 5 (Beck 0-2) @ BRK 6 (Hildenberger 1-0; Gagne 2 B Sv; Forster 4 H; Knauss 2 H) [10 Innings]
HRs: SFS – Henderson (3); BRK – Robinson 2 (3), Becker (5).
Box Score

Roy White‘s 3 homeruns and sentimental value earned him the series MVP, over Smokey Joe Williams (1-0, 1.98 and 17 strikeouts in just under 14 innings) and Mike Piazza, who was bidding to win the MVP for the 3rd consecutive postseason series. Piazza hit well–2 homeruns and 6 RBI’s, but ultimately White’s 1.476 OPS and 3 homeruns took home the honors.

For the Sea Lions, it was more about who didn’t show up than who did: Bobby Bonds, Dick Lundy, Turkey Stearnes, Rickey Henderson, and Frank Grant all finished with OPS’ below–and in some cases well below–.700 for the series, with only Jimmie Foxx and Reggie Jackson really putting in decent showings offensively.

Whirled Series II is in the books!

#Game 1. Mon, Oct 22

We’re a little awkward in the rotations, with Brooklyn turning to Smokey Joe Williams to open up the Whirled Series while San Francisco is well positioned, leading off with Lefty Grove. Grove is 3-0 with a 2.53 in the postseason, so call that an edge to the Sea Lions.

Brooklyn opened the scoring with 2 outs in the 3rd as Mike Piazza continued a postseason for the ages, launching his 10th homerun, this one with a runner on. Dan Brouthers doubled home Roy White, making it 3-0. Meanwhile, the Sea Lions were still searching for their first hit off Williams, which finally came in the bottom of the 5th when Reggie Jackson led off the inning with a base hit, but was stranded at 3rd.

Brooklyn chased Grove with hits leading off the 6th, the second a Duke Snider double that scored Brouthers. Tommy Bridges shut them down, keeping the lead at 4-0.

But the story was really Williams: 7 innings, 2 hits, 9 strikeouts. Then, 8 innings, 11 strikeouts. At 103 pitches, that was it for Smokey Joe, with Eric Gagne coming in.

Three up, three down, and the Royal Giants steal a game on the road to open the series, with all credit to Smokey Joe Williams’ magnificent performance.

BRK 4 (Williams 1-1) @ SFS 0 (Grove 3-1)
HRs: BRK Piazza (11)- ; SFS – none.
Box Score

#Game 2, Tue Oct 23

Orel Hershiser (4-0, 2.52 in the postseason) takes the ball for Brooklyn in game 2 to face San Francisco’s Eddie Plank as San Francisco looks to even the series at home against one of the hottest pitchers around.

The Sea Lions’ offense revolve around the fear Rickey Henderson generates: in the top of the first, an error by Ray Dandridge, given the start at SS over Vern Stephens, put the WBL’s stolen base leader at second with no outs. Henderson stole 3rd and scored on a sacrifice fly from Frank Grant.

With one out in the 3rd, San Francisco loaded the bases on a single by Mickey Cochrane and consecutive HBP’s to Henderson and Grant. Reggie Jackson lined a hard shot down the first line, but it was speared by Dan Brouthers, who stepped on first to double up Grant and end the inning.

Brooklyn mounted their first threat in the top of the 4th, on a double by John Briggs. Briggs moved to 3rd on an error by Dick Lundy. Plank whiffed Ron Cey, but Piazza–there’s that man again–drove in 2 with a single, putting the Royal Giants up, 2-1. Beals Becker extended the lead to 3-1 with a solo shot leading off the 6th.

Plank lasted until Roy White led off the 7th with a triple. Tim Hudson fanned 2 and ended the inning on a flyout to right.

Jack Clark and Turkey Stearnes started the 7th with singles for San Francisco. Jimmie Foxx followed with a single, loading the bases and chasing Hershiser, with Brooklyn calling Sandy Koufax in from the bullpen. Koufax induced a grounder back to the mound and fired to Piazza, who stepped on the plate for the first out. Koufax walked Cochrane, forcing in a run and making it a 1 run game at 3-2, but Lundy bounced into a double play, ending the inning.

White extended the lead to 4-2 in the top of the 9th with an RBI single. So we head to the bottom of the 9th with the Royal Giants 3 outs away from a shocking 2-0 lead in the Series.

Once again, it was up to Eric Gagne. A one out walk to Stearnes brought up Foxx as the tying run. And Foxx delivered, sending a ball into the water behind the right field wall. A single from Bonds chased Gagne and a walk to Mickey Cochrane brought up Lundy with 1 out, but Dave Von Ohlen closed it out, sending us to extra innings.

Von Ohlen had to leave the game in the 10th, grabbing at his back after throwing ball 4 to Grant, but Terry Forster shut them down, sending us to the 11th.

White has been the heart and soul of Brooklyn for 2 years: here he went deep in the top of the 11th, putting the Royal Giants back on top, 5-4.

Foxx led off the home 11th with a double. After an intentional walk to Bobby Bonds, Forster got Cochrane to ground into a fielder’s choice. Lundy was walked, and Burleigh Grimes came in to face Henderson. Grimes immediately uncorked a wild pitch, and we were tied once more. Grimes got Grant to bounce back to the mound, and the runner was cut down at the plate. Two outs, bases loaded, and Reggie Jackson at the plate. Jackson whiffed, and off we go to the 12th.

With 2 outs in the 12th, consecutive singles from Jackie Robinson and Dickie Thon put Brooklyn up 8-5. And a strikeout by Foxx ended the game: the Royal Giants win, having swept San Francisco at home and shocking the world with victories in the first 2 games.

White and Foxx were the stars of their respective teams, each with 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

BRK 8 (Grimes 1-0, 1 B Sv; Koufax 2 H; Hildenberger H 4; Gagne 1 B Sv) @ SFS 5 (Beck 0-1)
HRs: BRK – Becker (4), White (3); SFS – Foxx (6).
Box Score

Von Ohlen has a busted disc, with Brooklyn recalling the immensely impressive Dick Redding.