The Whirled League – Page 31 – Baseball The Way It Never Was

{ Whoops, this should have been posted before the prior post. }

If the Chicago American Giants seem somewhat familiar, it’s because they were just featured in Series XX. We first saw them way back in Series VI.

This is only the 2nd appearance for the Miami Cuban Giants, who we first saw in Series XI. They are the last team to get their second features, perhaps appropriate for one of the weakest teams in the WBL.

#Chicago American Giants

Chicago comes into this series in 2nd place, 3 games behind Baltimore in the Cum Posey Division. They’re a good team, among the best offensively with a pitching staff that is better in the rotation than the bullpen.

The American Giants are led by a powerful quintet: OFs Joe Jackson and Duffy Lewis and IFs Frank Thomas (although he’s more a DH than a 1B), Eddie Collins, and Dick Allen. Jackson leads in BA, SLG, and OPS (328, 579, and 990, respectively); Lewis in HR (21), Thomas in OBP and RBI (429, 70), Collins in SB (38). It’s an insane lineup for opposing hurlers to get through.

Tricky Nichols leads the way on the mound at 9-3 with a 3.67 ERA while Ben Sheets is 7-5, 3.45. The key here is that none of the other starters–Mark Buehrle and newcomers Dick Rudolph and Don Newcombe–have been bad, making the staff fairly consistent.

If there is an issue for Chicago, it’s the bullpen. Closer AJ Minter (15 saves, 2.18) has been excellent, but getting to him as been a struggle at times, leading to the midseason acquisition of Hoyt Wilhelm.

#Miami Cuban Giants

The Cuban Giants are young, and bad, with what is most likely the league’s worst offense, and a pitching staff not far behind.

José Canseco (291/359/510, 18 HR) has been the one consistent bright spot, and while 1B Will Clark and the more recently promoted C Alan Ashby and Gary Sheffield have been solid, the rest have been pretty miserable.

Rube Waddell and Camilo Pascual have been solid, even occasionally excellent as starters. But after that … the less said the better. Similarly, Aroldis Chapman clearly has an elite arm at closer, but the rest of the bullpen has been quite a mess, although Phenomenal Smith has been excellent since his very recent recall from AAA.

As a point of curiosity, Eustaquio Pedroso and Martín Dihigo both look promising as 2-way players.

#Series Matchups

Chicago starter listed first.

Mark Buehrle (6-7, 4.40) @ Roenis Elías (2-2, 5.60)
Dick Rudolph (6-4, 4.20) @ José Méndez (2-2, 6.25)
Don Newcombe (2-10, 5.80) @ Eustaquio Pedroso (4-5, 5.95)
Ben Sheets (7-5, 3.45) @ Camilo Pascual (4-8, 3.67)

#Series Predictions

With Nichols missing the series, I think Miami can win 1 game. Of course, with Waddell missing it, perhaps not even that. But I’ll stick with 3-1, Chicago.

Series XXII Best Games

By mknn

On July 22, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

New York Black Yankees @ House of David, Game 3

This was just your classic see-saw slugfest. Looking only at the score at the end of half-innings, the lead changed hands 8 times in the game–2-0; 3-2; 7-2; 8-7; 10-8; 12-8; 13-12; and finally 15-13 (and it was tied at 7, 8, and 12).

Things started well for New York, as Eric Davis singled, stole 2 bases, and scored on a sac fly before a solo shot from Lou Gehrig made it 2-0 in their favor. Cole Hamels took the mound for the Black Yankees, trying to earn his spot in the starting rotation. Didn’t go so well: Hamels didn’t get out of the 4th inning, leaving the game with the House of David leading, 7-2. He gave up homeruns to Pete Browning and Gabby Hartnett, and two to Anthony Rizzo.

The House of David’s Frank Sullivan was sailing at that point, but the top of the 5th would be his undoing as New York put together 3 hits and 2 walks to start the inning, then greeted Sullivan’s replacement, Phil Regan, with RBI doubles from Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter. By the end of the frame, New York was ahead, 8-7.

Browning’s second homerun of the game tied it up in the 5th, with the Black Yankees’ taking the lead back on a solo shot from Babe Ruth and an RBI single from Jeter. At this point, it looked like New York’s game, especially once they doubled their lead on a 2-run double from Ruth in the top of the 7th. It was now 12-8 in favor of the Black Yankees.

But the New York bullpen has been their Achilles’ heel all year, and today proved no exception. Ralph Citarella came in and loaded the bases twice (a great throw by Ruth nailed Browning at the plate, preventing a run from scoring) before giving up a grand slam to Hartnett, tying the game at 12.

Thurman Munson immediately restored New York’s lead with his 10th homerun of the season. Sparky Lyle had a rare effective outing, and gave way in the bottom of the 9th to Gary Lavelle, newly appointed as the Black Yankees’ closer. Singles by Dan Ford and Hartnett brought up George Stone with 2 outs … and Stone neatly deposited Lavelle’s first pitch into the leftfield stands, for a walk-off 3 run homer.

Jack Taylor, forced into the game as a reliever, got the victory. Rizzo and Hartnett combined for 6 hits in 6 at bats with 9 RBIs and 6 runs scored, and Ford had 4 hits and 4 runs scored for the House of David. Ruth drove in 5 for New York.

NYY 13 (Lavelle 0-2, 2 B SV) @ HOD 15 (Taylor 7-8)
HRs: NYY – Gehrig (17), Ruth (28), Munson (10); Browning 2 (13), Rizzo 2 (5), Hartnett 2 (4), Stone (21).
Box Score

Other Games of Note

In pretty much the exact opposite game, Houston’s Stephen Strasburg and Portland’s Joseito Muñoz faced off in one of the best-pitched games of the year. Muñoz gave up only 3 hits over 8 innings, with a Jorge Posada double accounting for Houston’s only run. But Strasburg was even better, taking a 1-hitter into the 9th inning. He needed help at the end from Billy Wagner, but the two Colt 45 pitchers combined for a 3-hit shutout in the 1-0 win.

POR 0 (Muñoz 3-3) 0 @ HOU 1 (Strasburg 5-5; Wagner 9 Sv) 1
HRs: None.
Box Score

This was a fun one that went down to the wire. If you look at the box score, you might think that LA’s Doc Gooden and Indianapolis’ Willie Mitchell (making his first start of the year after spectacular performances in relief) were hit hard, but the real story was the inability of either Pud Galvin or Clay Carroll to help them get out of a jam. LA took an early lead on an RBI double from Derrek Lee, but the real drama was in the late innings as the lead changed hands 3 times. An RBI single from Jake Stenzel off the Angels’ closer, Joe Nathan, tied the game, and Ed Charles‘ fly deep to CF was snagged by a great catch from Mike Trout, but allowed Danny Hoffman to stroll home from third with the winning run. Carlos Delgado (slashing 375/423/562 since arriving in LA) had 2 hits, and Stenzel and Dave Henderson had 4 each for Indianapolis, with Henderson driving in 4.

LAA 6 (Nathan 3-5, 5 B Sv; Venters 10 H) @ IND 7 (Faber 6-5, 2 B Sv; Carroll 1 B Sv)
HRs: LA – Grich (7).
Box Score

When Álex Rodríguez took San Francisco closer Rod Beck deep in the bottom of the 9th for a walkoff homerun, it consigned the Sea Lions to their 7th straight loss. Ottawa’s Rusty Staub, hitting .346 since coming to the Mounties in a trade, had 2 hits, as did Anthony Rendon, helping the team overcome 3 errors in the victory. In perhaps his best outing of the year, Randy Johnson gave Ottawa 3+ innings of hitless relief, fanning 6.

SFS 4 (Beck 1-3, 4 B Sv; Howell 5 H; Robinson 10 H) @ OTT 5 (Holland 3-1)
HRs: Ott – Walker (9), Alomar (1), Rodríguez (8).
Box Score

TWIWBL 28.1: AA Roundup, July 1st

By mknn

On July 20, 2022

In TWIWBL, WBL Minor Leagues

Another month, another quick trip through the minor leagues!

Featured Team: Austin Black Senators

The Black Senators have the best record in AA, playing at a .650 clip and leading their division by 5 games.

Their offense is thoroughly mediocre, but their pitching is something else, led by Kyle Kendrick (6-2, 3.84) and Bill Harper, who is 4-2 with 13 saves and a 1.07 ERA out of the bullpen. Nineteen year-old Vida Blue has shown flashes of great potential, averaging almost 11 K’s per 9 innings, but is currently injured.

Offensively … well it’s hard to find who the real leaders are, but it’s probably IF Russ Adams (311/404/444) and OF Derek Bell (315/344/489). Dick Williams leads the team with 9 HRs and 30 RBIs. Part of the issue is who’s no longer here: Travis Jackson, Pete Hill, and Von Joshua, each of whom have been stellar offensively, are at AAA, the majors, and on the injured list respectively. Mid-season acquisition Harry Stovey (part of Houston’s trade for Roger Clemens) looks to add something as well: overall, he’s slashing 374/447/835, although he’s a little off that in his first 10 games with Austin.

#AA Leaders

John Briggs, perhaps the most dominant player at AA has been recalled to Brooklyn. Briggs was slashing 315/437/518 with a dozen homeruns and over 50 Rs and RBIs. Behind Briggs, the best batters at AA are probably Adam Dunn (Nashville / Indianapolis ABC’s) and Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento / San Francisco Sea Lions). They are 1st and 2nd in SLG and OPS, and Dunn is 2nd in the league in homeruns with 21, while Foxx has 20. Vancouver’s Frankie Hayes (Portland Sea Dogs) leads AA with 23 HRs and Prince Fielder is tied with Dunn (Atlantic City / Philadelphia) with 21. Fort Wayne’s Billy Nash (Detroit Wolverines), Rochester’s Ken Keltner (Cleveland Spiders), and Tulsa’s Willie Crawford (Memphis) join Dunn and Foxx as the only AA batters with an OPS over 1.000.

Two teenagers from Albuquerque (Wandering House of David), 15 year-old Joe Nuxhall and 17 year-old Larry Dierker, continue to dominate on the mound. Nuxhall is first in ERA (2.59), Dierker leads in wins with 11, and the 2 are first and second in strikeouts. Vern Law (Syracuse / Homestead Grays) and Jeremy Sowers (Fort Wayne) have 10 wins each, and are 2nd and 3rd in ERA behind Nuxhall (Dierker is 6th).

AA can be a little odd: Heathcliff Slocumb (Montgomery / Birmingham Black Barons) leads with 19 saves, but 18 of those were with Hudson Valley (New York Black Yankees). Slocumb was part of the Tom Herr trade, taking over from Steve Bedrosian for Montréal, who had 17 saves before being called up to the WBL. Albuquerque’s Karl Spooner (2.08 ERA, 0.65 WHIP), Havana’s Glenn Spencer (Miami Cuban Giants; 2.92 ERA, 0.89 WHIP), and Madison’s Víctor Cruz (Chicago American Giants; 2.42 ERA, 0.92 WHIP) are among the other strongest relievers.

#AA Awards

Dierker won the AA Pitcher of the Month Award, going 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA, striking out 45 while walking only 4. Jorge Orta of Nashville was the AA Batter of the Month, hitting .330 with 7 homeruns in June.

Players of the Week: Casey Blake (Rochester), John Mayberry (Edmonton / Ottawa Mounties), Orta, Travis Jackson (Austin).

#AA Hottest Prospects (24 Years and Younger)

80 AAA PA/40 AA IP minimum; must be in AA now, or only recently promoted.

C: Frankie Hayes (19, Vancouver). 256/344/584. 23 HR.
1B: Jimmie Foxx (20, Sacramento). 302/397/649. 20 HR.
2B: Asdrúbal Cabrera (21, Charlotte). 327/399/565.
3B: Mike Moustakas (24, Sacramento). 323/392/684.
SS: Bert Campaneris (22, Albuquerque). 322/387/527.
LF: George Burns (23, Troy / New York Gothams). 371/458/667.
CF: Willie Crawford (17, Tulsa). 338/448/556.
RF: Adam Dunn (21, Nashville). 279/433/637. 21 HR, 52 RBI.

SP: Larry Dierker (17, Albuquerque; 11-4, 3.60, 1.09 WHIP); Vern Law (24, Syracuse; 10-0, 2.86, 1.17 WHIP); Joe Nuxhall (15, Albuquerque; 7-2, 2.59, 1.07 WHIP); Jeremy Sowers (Fort Wayne, 24; 10-4, 3.19, 1.28 WHIP).

RP: Jeff Heathcock (23, Albuquerque; 1-3, 2.34, 15 Sv); Karl Spooner (23, Albuquerque; 0-2, 2.08, 4 Sv, 0.65 WHIP); Glenn Spencer (22, Havana; 2-0, 2.92, 0.89 WHIP).

TWIWBL 28.0 – AAA Roundup, July 1st

By mknn

On July 14, 2022

In TWIWBL, WBL Minor Leagues

Another month, another quick trip through the minor leagues!

Featured Team: New Orleans Pelicans

The AAA affiliate of the Memphis Red Sox has the second best record in AAA, leading their division by 6 games. They’ve managed to keep their lead despite a fairly constant amount of churn as players move up and down with the parent club.

The Pelicans lead with their offense, with the near-constant presence of veteran Joe Cronin at 1B, 2B Dustin Pedroia, and OF Joe Kelley. Bob Brenly, Eddie Rosario, and Wayne Causey have all been strong contributors who, like Pedroia, spent a fair bit of time in Memphis.

Cronin leads the team in homeruns with 13, followed by Brenly with 11. Brenly has the most impressive slash line of the regulars, with his 299/342/664 giving him an OPS just over 1.000.

Joe Kelly (the other one–note only a single e in the last name) leads the way on the mound with a 6-3 record and a 3.36 ERA. Andrew Miller is 5-0 since his promotion from AA with an ERA of 3.03. The bullpen is anchored by Luiz Gohara, who has 14 saves and an ERA under 3. Gohara and Kelly each started the year in Memphis.

#AAA Leaders

If you are a devotee of OPS, the best batters in AAA have been Baby Doll Jacobson (Washington / Baltimore Black Sox; 1.114); Jung Ho Kang (Columbus / Wandering House of David; 1.042), and Joey Votto (Cincinnati / Indianapolis ABC’s; 1.000). Jacobson and Votto are both with their WBL clubs now. Those 3 are closely trailed by Merv Rettenmund (Washington; .996) and Al Kaline (Toronto / Detroit Wolverines; .984).

Kaline is 3rd in AAA in BA and OBP, and 2nd in hits while Rettumund is tied for the lead with 21 homeruns, and leads in RBIs and Rs. Aaron Judge (Norfolk / Philadelphia Stars), Jacobson, Benny Kauff (Hartford / New York Gothams), and Kevin Young (Louisville / Homestead) each have 21 HRs as well.

Finally, along with Kaline (3.3) and Rettenmund (3.1), Max Carey (Louisville) and Cliff Lee (Seattle / Portland) are the other AAA players with a WAR over 3.

Cincinnati’s Virgil Trucks has been, by far, the dominant starting pitcher, leading the league with a 2.05 ERA and a 10-3 record. Trucks also leads the league with 8 complete games and a 0.94 WHIP, and is second in the league with 167 strikeouts. Bob Gibson (St. Louis / Kansas City) trails Trucks with a 2.36 ERA and 9 victories and two other starters, AJ Burnett (Newark / New York Black Yankees) and St. Louis’ Jock Menefee also have ERA’s under 3.00. Burnett’s teammate, Lefty Gomez, leads AAA with 181 strikeouts in 115 innings.

San Jose’s Billy Taylor (San Francisco Sea Lions) and St. Louis’ Adam Russell lead AAA in saves with 21 and 20, respectively.

#AAA Awards

Rube Melton (Atlanta / Birmingham Black Barons) was the AAA Pitcher of the Month, going 4-0 with a 2.58 ERA, striking out 53 in under 40 innings; while Cincinnati’s Doc Hobitzell was the AAA Player of the Month, hitting .426 with 11 home runs in June.

AAA Players of the Week: Hobitzell twice, along with Steve Garvey (Montréal / Ottawa Mounties [since traded to the Los Angeles Angels]) and Cincinnati’s Jhonny Peralta.

#AAA Hottest Prospects (24 Years and Younger)

100 AAA PA/50 AAA IP minimum; must be in AAA now, or only recently promoted.

C: Cliff W. Lee (22, Seattle). 318/359/624. 20 HR, 56 RBI.
1B: Doc Hoblitzell (23, Cincinnati). 331/361/647.
2B: Juan Samuel (23, Norfolk). 294/347/569.
3B: Charlie Reilly (23, San Jose). 315/343/622.
SS: Asdrúbal Cabrera (22, Washington). 282/309/550.
LF: Joe Kelley (20, New Orleans). 261/379/523.
CF: Rick Monday (23, Montréal). 275/381/584.
RF: Al Kaline (20, Toronto). 340/410/574.

SP: Jake Peavy (23, Newark). 5-2, 3.44, 1.08 WHIP. Jock Menefee (24, St. Louis). 5-4, 2.75, 1.11 WHIP. Sam McDowell (24, Buffalo / Cleveland Spiders). 9-4, 4.80, 1.26 WHIP. Ralph Branca (22, Quebec / Brooklyn. 7-4, 3.43, 1.17 WHIP).

RP: Luiz Gohara (20, New Orleans). 3-1, 14 Sv, 2.73, 1.33 WHIP. Al Spalding (24, Hartford). 1-0, 4 Sv, 3.00, 1.00 WHIP.

TWIWBL 27.4: Series XXI Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 12, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Where has this been all year? Greg Maddux finally delivered on his potential, spinning a 3-hit, complete game shutout of the mighty Black Yankees in a 5-0 Black Barons win. Maddux was helped from homeruns from Billy Southworth and Del Crandall.

Alejandro Peña allowed only 4 hits and 1 run through 7 innings, and Steve Bedrosian and Juan Ríncón were near perfect in relief as Birmingham beat New York again, 3-1. Adrián González‘ first HR for Birmingham was key, breaking a 1-1 tie in the 8th inning.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

After the series, Brooklyn finally lost patience with Hi Meyers, releasing the struggling CF and promoting promising John Briggs all the way from AA to the big league club.

#Miami Cuban Giants

The search for the right staff continues in Miami, with Bill Landrum and being sent to AA. Chris Resop and Steve Brown move to Miami, with Chico Fernández and Sandy Consuegra being released. Eddie Milner, ice cold after a nice debut, was sent down as well, with Carlos Peña being recalled to further complicate the 1B situation.

#Portland Sea Dogs

They couldn’t quite overcome a 7-0 deficit, but Kent Hrbek‘s 26th HR tied Babe Ruth for the league lead as the Sea Dogs fell 7-6 to Miami.

Walter Johnson delivered a great performance, allowing only 2 hits and 1 run over 8 innings while striking out 10, but he wasn’t involved in the decision, as José Canseco greeted Portland’s closer Johan Santana with a tying homerun in the top of the 9th. Jeff Burroughs won the game in the bottom of the 12th with his 13th homerun of the season, but the victory was costly, as Santana was injured while on the mound.

Bert Blyleven turned in one of the better performances of the season, fanning a WBL record 14 batters in a complete game, 5-hit shutout of Miami. Gary Pettis had 2 hits, scored twice, and stole 3 bases in the 4-0 victory.

Bad news for the Sea Dogs, as their closer–and WBL saves leader–Santana will miss the rest of the season with a partially torn labrum. Elmer Brown takes over the closer duties for Portland, with Hal Griggs joining the bullpen from AAA.

Somehow, Greg Litton remains in the WBL.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Tim Hudson‘s 2nd start for the Sea Lions was better than the first, but the result was the same as San Francisco fell to the House of David despite Bob Cerv‘s pair of homeruns.

TWIWBL 27.3: Series XXI Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 11, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

Tris Speaker, injured since spring training, comes off the disabled list for a rehab assignment at AAA. Speaker represents an interesting challenge for the Spiders, as Kenny Lofton has really claimed the CF job for his own.

#Homestead Grays

Billy Pierce heads back to AAA as Hal Carlson comes back from the DL, stepping into the rotation with Ray Brown moving to the bullpen.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s will be without one of their better players as 19 year old Oscar Charleston will miss a few weeks with plantar fasciitis. Pete Rose was recalled to take his place on the roster.

Indianapolis has decided to make an unusual move, turning to a 6-man rotation as a way to get Willie Mitchell some starts. It could be interesting, as it also means all of the rotation may be available in relief between starts.

#New York Black Yankees

The staff stays the same, but some roles change: Cole Hamels takes Jamie Moyer‘s spot in the rotation and Gary Lavelle was announced as the new closer for the Black Yankees, taking over from Sparky Lyle.

Still desperate to solve some issues on the infield, the Black Yankees released both OF Joe Harris and utilityman Craig Counsell, recalling the two Reds, Red Schoendienst and Red Rolfe. The roster construction is a bit fragile, so we’ll see how long it lasts.

#Philadelphia Stars

Steve Carlton threw a complete game, 5-hit shutout and Sherm Lollar went 4-for-4 with 4 RBI’s as the Stars blanked Ottawa, 6-0. Carlton improved to 5-6 on the season, striking out 7 and walking 4. Ted Kluszewski had 3 hits and the other 2 RBI for Philadelphia.

Larry Jackson and Bill Laskey both returned to AAA, with Pete Alexander returning from his rehab assignment and Minnie Rojas being promoted. Alexander moves back into the starting rotation. Roger Peckinpaugh returned to AAA, with Pinky Whitney coming to Philadelphia. Whitney will step into the starting lineup as the Stars have finally given up on Mickey Doolin‘s bat. The problem is that Whitney fields as well as Doolin hits.

TWIWBL 27.2: Series XXI Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On July 8, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

Two trade acquisitions–SS Freddy Parent and SP Dick Rudolph–were key in the American Giants’8-5 win over Baltimore. Rudolph had a strong start and Parent drove in 3 with a key triple. As importantly, Chicago’s OFers gunned down three runners trying to score, with Joe Jackson nailing 1 and Mike Fiore 2.

The American Giants sent Herb Pennock to AAA, recalling Ed Walsh from his rehab assignment and Jack Doyle from the injured list. Tom Brookens was released and Damian Jackson sent to AAA following his recovery from injury.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Roy Oswalt pitched into the 9th inning and Carlos Correa had 3 hits and 4 RBI’s as Houston topped Kansas City, 8-1. Oswalt evened his record at 6-6 with a strong outing, allowing 8 hits and 1 run in just over 8 innings pitched.

Paul Goldschmidt and Carney Lansford were sent back to AAA, with Andrés Galarraga and reliever Luke Gregerson receiving the call to the big leagues.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Smokey Joe Wood replaces Frank Castillo in the rotation.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard had to leave his start injured, landing on the DL for 10 days. Greg Holland, dominant at AAA after being horrible for Ottawa at the start of the year, was recalled. A 3-run HR by Carlos Beltrán was the key hit as the Mounties won the game over Philadelphia, 8-3.

Joe Mays was recalled from AAA for a start, with Bobby Castillo being demoted. Mays was added to the rotation, but that may be very short-term.

A homerun from Gary Carter in the 11th inning led the Mounties to a 3-1 victory over the Stars. The win went to Ted Bowsfield, but Jim Clancy was strong through 5, and Holland (solid since his recall), Gary Peters, and Mays combined with Bowsfield for 6 innings of scoreless relief.

TWIWBL 27.1: Series XXI Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On July 6, 2022

In TWIWBL

{ There is no TWIWBL 27.0–the series overview post–so we’ll just dive into the Division by Division notes. }

#Detroit Wolverines

Jimmy Collins‘ two month slump has landed him in AAA, with Bill Carrigan‘s return from the DL. This means the Wolverines are carrying 3 catchers (Carrigan, Ed Bailey, and Ernie Lombardi), which is always a bit of a challenge.

#Los Angeles Angels

Mike Trout picked up his 100th hit of the season in a 12-2 mauling of Cleveland. Kal Daniels went 4-for-5 with 5 RBI’s and Trout scored 4 times in support of Chuck Finley, who evened his record at 4-4 with the victory.

Brett Anderson will be out for over a month, causing some shuffling in the Angels’ staff and a bunch of churn elsewhere. Harry Howell, OF Kole Calhoun, and 2B Mark Ellis head to AAA, Larry Anderson is recalled from his rehab assignment and both Pud Galvin and Tom Seaver join the staff, with the 22 year old Seaver moving into the rotation. IF Steve Garvey, who has torn up AAA since being acquired from Ottawa, is recalled to Los Angeles as well.

#Memphis Red Sox

Eddie Cicotte was sent to AAA with the Red Sox in need of a starter. IF Glenn Williams was released to make room for Norwood Gibson on the 40-man roster. Gibson was excellent, allowing only 2 runs on 4 hits in over 5 innings of work, and earning himself a bit of a stay at the big leagues, especially with Turk Farrell heading to the DL, with Cicotte making a quick return.

Len Barker replaces Nixey Callahan in the rotation.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams have finally pulled the plug on Willie McCovey, waiving the 32 year-old 1B and promoting 38 year-old Joe Adcock back to the WBL.

#Wandering House of David

Ernie Banks and Pete Browning had 3 hits each, with Banks driving in 5 runs with 2 homeruns, including a grand slam, giving him 14 on the season. Wade Miley pitched well to go to 5-2, and the bullpen did enough to hold off the Sea Lions for an 8-5 victory.

CC Sabathia took a 2-hitter into the 9th inning in the series finale, but Reggie Jackson led off the frame with a homerun to make the score 4-1 in favor of the House of David. Bruce Sutter relieved Sabathia and retired the side in order for his 11th save, while Sabathia improved to 8-7 on the season.

Series XXI Featured Matchup: Detroit Wolverines @ Homestead Grays

By mknn

On June 30, 2022

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game One: Si Johnson @ Earl Hamilton

A sacrifice fly by Jimmy Collins in the top of the 2nd opened the scoring, and a 2-run HR from Tony Phillips in the top of the 5th made it 3-0.

But Detroit’s Si Johnson didn’t make it out of the bottom of the frame, giving way to Justin Verlander with the bases loaded and no outs. Verlander fanned 2, escaping the danger with no runs scoring, on his way to delivering 3 innings of 1-hit relief, fanning 3.

An Arky Vaughan error plated the 4th run, followed by an RBI single from George Davis, putting the Wolverines up 5-0 heading to the bottom of the 8th.

A Chief Wilson homerun ended the shutout, but Detroit would add one more run on a Ty Cobb triple and Hank Greenberg double in the top of the 9th, making it 6-1.

The Grays would not go without at least a semblance of a fight, with a Roberto Clemente pinch-hit homerun closing the gap to 6-3 and forcing Detroit to turn to its closer, Mike Henneman. Henneman would hit Andrew McCutcheon and give up a triple to Andy Van Slyke and an RBI single to Rick Reichardt (who finished with 3 hits), but would preserve the victory, 6-5.

DET 6 (Verlander 5-2; Henneman 20 Sv) @ HOM 5 (Hamilton 1-3)
HRs: DET – Phillips (6); HOM – Wilson (3), Clemente (10)
Box Score

#Game Two: Gene Conley @ Francisco Liriano

This one was a pitcher’s duel early, with Gene Conley showing why Detroit moved him from the bullpen into the rotation, fanning 5 of the first 6 batters he faced. Francisco Liriano matched him frame for frame, and the game was scoreless going into the bottom of the 6th. Roberto Clemente led off the inning with a triple and scored on Mike Epstein‘s single to right to give Homestead a 1-0 lead.

Detroit would tie it up in the top of the 7th when Ernie Lombardi singled home Ty Cobb, who had doubled with 1 out.

Conley was sent back out for the bottom of the 7th, and Honus Wagner greeted him with a long shot to left-center field for his 8th homerun of the year and a 2-1 Grays lead.

Josh Lindblom relieved Liriano and retired the side in order, including pinch-hitters Oscar Gamble and Hank Greenberg. Those moves led to Detroit forfeiting the DH for the rest of the game.

Homestead added to their lead with RBI’s from Andy Van Slyke and Wagner, and then tried to seal the game with a 2-run shot from Arky Vaughan which sent them to the bottom of the inning leading 6-1.

Bob Bailey walked and Cobb followed with an infield single, bringing in Michael Jackson, who was greeted by Chili Davis‘ 13th homerun of the year to make it a 2-run game, 6-4. Jackson hit Lombardi, but whiffed George Davis before Geoff Jenkins doubled, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd. Greg Brock–pinch-hitting for the pitcher’s spot–struck out, bringing up Greenberg as the winning run.

The ball was sent deep to left, but not deep enough, and Homestead evened the series at 1 game apiece.

DET 4 (Conley 8-2) @ HOM 6 (Liriano 4-3; Lindblom 6 H)
HRs: DET – C. Davis (13); HOM – Wagner (8), Johnson (8).
Box Score

#Game 3: Hal Newhouser @ Vean Gregg

This one could be the best pitching matchup of the series, with Detroit’s Hal Newhouser facing Homestead’s Vean Gregg.

Detroit would strike first on a 2-run homerun by Geoff Jenkins in the top of the 2nd. But Newhouser wasn’t especially sharp, and Homestead scored once in the 2nd and once in the 3rd to tie it up. The first run was driven in by Pops Stargell, the second by Rick Reichardt.

But it’s not like Gregg was was shutting them down, and Detroit started off the 4th with a single by Oscar Gamble and consecutive doubles from Jenkins and Ed Baily, giving the Wolverines a 4-2 lead. Sparky Adams would add an RBI single, and a walk to Tony Phillips and double from Ty Cobb would chase Gregg from the game with Detroit up, 6-2.

Bob Friend relieved Gregg, fanning Hank Greenberg and Chili Davis to get out of the inning without any further damage being done.

Honus Wagner doubled to right in the bottom of the frame, scoring Stargell from 1st–which is quite a sight as Pops rounded third, huffing and puffing. But Newhouser settled a little, allowing only the single run, keeping the lead at 6-3.

Newhouser wouldn’t get through the 5th, as Reichardt and Josh Gibson opened the inning with singles. Doyle Alexander relieved Prince Hal, and induced a double play, but then gave up a 2-run shot into the left field bleachers from Davey Johnson, making it a 1-run game at 6-5. In the next inning, Alexander would balk home the tying run.

Wagner would give the Grays the lead in the bottom of the 7th, doubling in a run with a shot down the left field line off Kevin Hart.

Detroit would empty the bench in an attempt to tie it in the top of the 8th. Jenkins led off with a single, and George Davis pinch-ran for him. Ernie Lombardi and Bob Bailey–both pinch-hitting–delivered singles, loading the bases with no outs and chasing Billy Pierce from the game.

Adams greeted Frank Linzy with a sacrifice fly to LF to tie the game, and Phillips followed with a double, scoring Lombardi and Bailey. Phillips was injured on the play and will miss a few weeks. That brought Detroit’s final bench player, Greg Brock, to the field, which will make their defensive arrangement interesting, to say the least.

Greenberg ended up at 3B for the final 2 innings, and Mike Henneman was able to shut the door, earning the save in a hard-fought win for Detroit.

Phillips was put on the Disabled List following the game, with Robby Thompson being recalled to the WBL.

DET 9 (Hart 2-3; Henneman 21 Sv) @ HOM 7 (Pierce 0-2; Linzy 1 BSv)
HRs: DET – Jenkins (6); HOM – Johnson (9).
Box Score

#Game 4: Johnny Marcum @ Stan Bahnsen

Detroit took the lead in the 3rd when Bob Bailey took Stan Bahnsen deep after a George Davis single for an early 2-0 lead.

Bill Mazeroski would hit the first homerun of his WBL career in the bottom of the frame off Johnny Marcum, cutting the lead in half.

Another 2-run shot, this one off the bat of Chili Davis, extended the Wolverine’s advantage to 4-1. And that seemed likely to be plenty, as Marcum was throwing well.

The Grays would cut the lead in half in the bottom of the 6th with a solo shot form Rick Reichardt. Josh Gibson and Arky Vaughan singled, chasing Marcum from the game, but Whitey Wilshere would escape without further damage.

Mike Henneman came in to close the game in the bottom of the 9th, but surrendered back-to-back doubles to pinch-hitter Chief Wilson and Andrew McCutcheon, pulling the Grays within 1 run. A deep fly to center moved McCutcheon to third, and Henneman plunked Reichardt to put the winning run on first. Tom Brown ran for Reichardt, giving Homestead some speed on the basepaths. Josh Gibson doubled, tying the game, and bringing Vaughan up with the winning run 90 feet away.

Vaughan walked, loading the bases somewhat inconsequentially, and bringing up Pops Stargell. Henneman tried to work the veteran inside, and got too far inside, plunking Stargell to drive in the winning run.

DET 4 (Henneman 1-4, 3 BSv; Wilshire 1 H; Verlander 3 H) @ HOM 5 (Zambrano 2-5)
HRs: DET – Bailey (15), Davis (14); HOM – Mazeroski (1), Reichardt (12).
Box Score

Series Review

A surprising split–certainly encouraging for Homestead, but a missed opportunity for Detroit, locked in a dogfight with the Gothams for the lead in the Bill James Division.

For Detroit, Ty Cobb was 7-for-19, but did most of his damage in the first 2 games. Oscar Gamble had 6 hits and Geoff Jenkins and Ernie Lombardi each went 4-for-9 in the 3 games they played.

Homestead was led by Rick Reichardt, who went 7-for-13. Andrew McCutcheon, Honus Wagner, Arky Vaughan, and Davey Johnson each had 5 hits.

Series XXI Best Games

By mknn

On June 29, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Five games made the list for Series XXI. We’ll give the detailed treatment to a great comeback, but the others all have some noteworthy moments.

#Indianapolis @ Memphis, Game 2

Just another see-saw …

A solo homerun by Mookie Betts and a 2 run shot by Ted Williams were the key hits as the Red Sox jumped out to a 7-0 lead. A 2-run homerun by Danny Hoffman and a triple from Oscar Charleston made it 7-3, and then, in the 7th inning, another homerun from Hoffman and a key, 2-0ut, 2-run shot from Johnny Bench brought the ABC’s within 1 run at 7-6. Reggie Smith added a solo shot off Lefty James, making it 8-6 heading to the top of the 9th.

Memphis brought in Jonathan Papelbon to close it out, which was certainly a reasonable choice. Tommy Helms led off the inning with a single, but a groundout by Hoffman seemed to set Memphis on the road to victory.

And then, Edd Roush and Charleston singled to load the bases and Bench cleared them with a double. A single by Dave Henderson scored Bench, and another by Denis Menke chased Papelbon from the game with Indianapolis having come all the way back to take the lead 10-8. Rob Dibble dominated the bottom of the frame, and the ABC’s had a great comeback win under their belt.

IND 10 (James 5-1, Dibble 16 Sv) @ MEM 8 (Papelbon 0-4, 2 BSv; Cicotte 1 H; Farrell 3 H)
HRs: IND – Hoffman 2 (11), Bench (17); MEM – Betts (6), Williams (18), Smith (11).
Box Score

#Ottawa @ Philadelphia, Game 2

A mismatch on paper as a tough Philadelphia lineup faces Joe Mays in his WBL debut. Tim Raines opened the game with homerun for Ottawa, but after that it went pretty much according to form, with Mays surrendering back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the 1st (José Ramírez, Rico Carty, and Scott Rolen) and then being chased from the game by back-to-back doubles in the 4th. Ottawa turned to Randy Johnson in relief, and the Big Unit delivered with a couple effective innings. Ottawa scored 7 runs in 2 innings to take the lead in a game with decimated bullpens. It was dicey throughout–Greg Holland, just recalled from AAA, had been hammered at the WBL level earlier in the year. But he gave the Mounties a good inning, and was followed by Ryan Dempster, asked to close the game. Dempster did so, but only when Raines threw out J.M. Ward at home for the final out. Larry Walker finished with 3 hits including his 8th homerun for the Mounties.

OTT 8 (Johnson 2-4; Dempster 2 Sv; Holland 3 H) @ PHI 7 (Cormier 4-1, 3 BSv; Laskey 1 H)
HRs: OTT – Raines (10), Walker (8); Ramírez (4), Carty (9), Kluszewski (14), Davis (14).
Box Score

#New York Gothams @ Brooklyn, Game 2

A tight pitching duel: Brooklyn’s Dick Redding was as good as the Gotham’s Christy Mathewson, but New York managed a sacrifice fly and a well-timed single by Eugenio Suárez to lead, 2-0. It was enough: Mathewson allowed 7 hits through 7 innings, but was dominant, fanning 11 and allowing only a solo shot from Duke Snider. Robb Nen and Brian Wilson slammed the door in relief to preserve the narrow victory.

NYG 2 (Mathewson 9-6; Wilson 13 Sv; Nen 4 H) @ BRK 1 (Redding 0-3)
HRs: BRK – Snider (19).
Box Score

#Miami @ Portland, Game 2

Portland only managed 2 hits, but leveraged 3 Miami errors and 10 walks by Cuban Giant hurlers to score 5 runs. Four of the runs scored off a chain of 2 walks, a double by Rogers Hornsby, and then 2 more walks and a wild pitch. The winning run in the bottom of the 9th was scored on a sacrifice fly from Joe Mauer after Adrián Beltré delivered a pinch-hit single. Eustaquio Pedroso‘ pitching line wasn’t pretty, but he was really let down by Phenomenal Smith‘s wildness, and Pedroso’s start was actually a source of some encouragement for Miami.

MCG 4 (Bauta 1-4; Smith 1 BSv) @ POR 5 (Williams 2-1)
HRs: MCG – Braun (11), Sheffield (3).
Box Score

#Birmingham @ New York Black Yankees, Game 4

We had to put something in here for the shocking performance of the Black Yankees in this series, who came into the final game desperately trying to avoid a sweep by the Black Barons having only scored 3 runs total over the first 3 games.

New York took the lead in the bottom of the 1st on a 2-run shot by Don Mattingly and extended it to 3-0 on a solo shot by Manny Sanguillén in the 5th. And that seemed plenty as Ron Guidry was dominant in his best start since early in the season, allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk through 7 innings while striking out 7.

But then came the 8th. Guidry gave up back to back walks and a single to load the bases and was clearly out of gas, relieved by Ralph Citarella, who let the wheels fall of: an error and a wild pitch scored runs, and then RBI singles from Curtis Granderson, Bob Nieman, and Pie Traynor chased Citarella with Birmingham holding a 6-3 lead.

Granderson added a 2-run inside-the-park-homerun in the 9th, giving plenty of cushion even when Albert Belle got 2 runs back in the final frame with his 10th homerun of the year. Vic Willis continued the strong start to his career, striking out 9 in 6 innings despite not factoring in the decision and Bruce Chen was nearly perfect over 2 innings in relief for the win, sealing the most surprising series sweep of the season.

BBB 8 (Chen 1-0) @ NYY 5 (Citarella 1-4; 3 BSv)
HRs: BBB – Granderson (10); NYY – Mattingly (17), Sanguillén (2), Belle (10).
Box Score