The Whirled League – Page 48 – Baseball The Way It Never Was

TWIWBL 11.1: Series IX Notes – Bill James Division

On July 11, 2021

#Detroit Wolverines

Hank Aguirre had pitched well all season, but had only a 1-3 record to show for it. Here, he combined with Mike Henneman on a 3-hit shutout of Houston, figuring the only way to win was to ensure the opposition didn’t score. Hank Greenberg was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs in the 3-0 victory.

Si Johnson lasted less than 2 innings before leaving his start injured, but it was long enough to give up 5 runs and take the loss in a game the Wolverines dropped to Houston, 6-3. Johnson was put on the 10 day DL after the game, with Mickey Lolich called up to Detroit to take his place and Johnny Marcum taking Johnson’s place in the rotation.

Tom Brookens‘ stay in Detroit was short, but going hitless in 15 ABs will do that. The 33-year old veteran was out of options, so the Wolverines waived him, freeing up a spot on their 40-man roster as well. 1B Greg Brock was recalled, adding some power to their bench.

#Los Angeles Angels

Armando Benitez made 4 appearances for the Angels, none of them good. He’ll be given another 12 games to see if there’s anything worth salvaging–having made it clear he’s unwilling to go to the minors, the Angels will then be faced with the choice of releasing or trading Benitez.

#Memphis Red Sox

Where did that come from? Nothing Eddie Cicotte had done yet indicated ha had this in him: 7.1 innings of shutout, 6-hit ball against Chicago, easily the hottest offense in the league. Mookie Betts, Ted Williams, Vern Stephens, and Bill White all went deep as the Red Sox eased to a 10-0 win. Williams was 3-for-4 with 3 runs and Betts was 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs.

Pete Runnels was moved to AAA, with Claude Richey being recalled. 1B George Scott would have joined Runnels, but refused the demotion, potentially signaling the end of Boomer’s time with the Red Sox.

#New York Gothams

Despite walking 3 in the top of the 9th, Sad Sam Jones tossed a complete game, 4-hit shutout against the mighty Black Yankees. Jones moved to 2-3 on the year, with the key hit being a 2-run homerun by Eugenio Suarez. Willie Mays added 3 hits for the Gothams.

Al Mays‘ recent struggle cost him his rotation spot, with Gaylord Perry taking his place.

#Wandering House of David

C.C. Sabathia spun a 5-hit shutout against Brooklyn to raise his record to 5-2. The Royal Giants’ Don Drysedale–who gave up a grand slam to Ernie Banks in the first inning before delivering a very Drysedalesque performance–lost his first game of the year. Banks, George Stone, Pete Browning, and Mark McGwire each had 2 hits for the House of David.

Gabby Hartnett and Frank Grant were both sent to AAA (sub .500 OPS will do that), with Frank Chance being promoted to serve as Elrod Hendricks‘ backup at catcher. The House of David reached down to AA for Grant’s replacement, recalling Bunny Downs, who had been hitting 360/436/472 for Albuquerque.

TWIWBL 11.0: Series IX Notes

By mknn

On July 11, 2021

In TWIWBL

May 8th

Awards

Duffy Lewis of the Chicago American Giants won the Player of the Week Award, hitting .448 with 5 homeruns–doubling his HR total on the year.

Performance

Given that we’re in early May, standings still don’t mean a whole lot. Portland and the New York Black Yankees have the best record in the league at 25-13, with the Chicago American Giants close behind as 23-15.

Homestead has the worst record at 12-26, already 13 games behind the Black Yankees.

League Standings | League Statistics

Walter Johnson moved to 6-0, becoming the only six-game winner in the league during Series IX. Babe Ruth slugged his 13th homerun of the year–a game-winner to boot–to regain the league lead.

More interestingly, the leaderboards are beginning to diversify. The lists below contain the top 2 performers in most categories, and while Ruth and Johnson still dominate, there a lot of different players there.

Leading SP: Walter Johnson (POR) 6-0, 3.07 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 1.9 WAR; Ron Guidry (NYY) 4-2, 3.23 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 65 Ks; CC Sabathia (HOD) 5-2, 2.79 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 3.13 FIP, 1.8 WAR; Don Drysedale (BRK) 4-1, 1.80 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, Gerrit Cole (LAA) 5-2, 4.45 ERA; Lefty Grove (SFS) 4-1, 3.30 ERA, 54 K; Camilo Pascual (MCG) 4-1, 2.36 ERA.

Leading RP: Johan Santana (POR) 0-1, 3.48 ERA, 13 Sv; Bob Howry (PHI) 0-2, 6.59 ERA, 10 Sv; Ron Reed (PHI) 0-1, 2.37 ERA, 2 Sv, 8 H; Joe Beggs 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 Sv; Tom Niedenfuer 0-0, 9.90 ERA, 7 Sv, 1 H; Craig Kimbrel (KAN) 0-1, 2.65 ERA, 6 H.

Leading Batters: Buster Posey (NYG) 394/463/685, 2.4 WAR; Reggie Jackson (SFS) 384/503/670; Babe Ruth (NYY) 371/461/734, 13 HR, 40 R, 2.6 WAR; Willie Mays (SFS) 352/394/509 56 H; Stan Musial (KAN) 380/448/570, 54 H; Rico Carty (PHI) 347/404/562, 14 2B, Kal Daniels (LAA) 289/413/485, 13 2B, Terry Puhl (OTT) 264/311/438, 5 3B; Curt Blefary (BAL) 295/420/676, 12 HR; Eric Davis (NYY) 306/342/571, 46 RBI; Doug Rader (LAA) 331/373/536, 45 RBI; Shoeless Joe Jackson (CAG) 370/458/688, 31 R, 2.5 WAR; Rickey Henderson (SFS) 286/442/397, 34 BB, 32 SB; Mickey Mantle (NYY) 293/414/444, 28 BB.

Streaks

Streaks are hard.

Chicago’s Luke Appling has the longest active hitting streak at 14 games, and Appling, Rico Carty (PHI), and Albert Pujols (KAN) have reached base in 16 straight.

San Francisco‘s Rickey Henderson has stolen 21 straight bases.

Sad Sam Jones of the New York Gothams and Houston‘s Toad Ramsey have each tossed 15 straight scoreless innings, and Baltimore‘s Ned Garvin hasn’t allowed a hit in 9 innings.

The hottest hitters in the league are Baltimore’s Curt Blefary (343/489/829 over 13 games), Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg (486/488/838 over 11 games), and Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench (382/493/764 over 16 games). Portland’s Kent Hrbek and Chicago’s Duffy Lewis each have 5 homeruns over their past 7 games.

Baltimore needs to make a choice soon, as Paul Blair continues to be totally overmatched, hitting 113/203/155 over 23 games.

Series Results

Series IX Sweeps

Cleveland over Kansas City

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series IX

Baltimore over San Francisco
Ottawa over Birmingham
Brooklyn over House of David
Houston over Detroit

Series Splits in Series IX

Chicago v Memphis
Homestead v Indianapolis
Los Angeles v Portland
Miami v Philadelphia
NY Black Yankees v NY Gothams

Series IX Featured Game: New York Black Yankees @ New York Gothams

By mknn

On July 11, 2021

In Featured Games

The first subway series had seen the Gothams take 2 of the first 3 games. They would send an early season workhorse, Christy Mathewson, to the mound against the Black Yankees‘ Red Ruffing. Mathewson entered the game at 4-4 with a 4.69 ERA while Ruffing brought an undefeated record, at 4-0 with an ERA of 3.43.

The Gothams took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd, when Cookie Rojas delivered a bases loaded single, scoring Willie Mays. But a strong throw from Mickey Mantle in right field beat Yasiel Puig to the plate, keeping the lead 1-0.

Babe Ruth led off the top of the 4th with a line-drive double to left and Mantle walked. Both scored on a double by Albert Belle, putting the Black Yankees up by 2 runs, 3-1. The Gothams would tie it up in the bottom of the frame: Johnny Callison doubled and moved to 3rd on a sacrifice fly from Willie McCovey. Puig–who has hit very well since a recent promotion from AAA–was hit by a pitch from Ruffing. Brandon Crawford plated Callison with a sacrifice fly, and Puig scored on a wild pitch.

Ruffing and Mathewson found some consistency after that, until Ruffing was chased from the game in the bottom of the 7th, relieved by Dellin Betances. who promptly gave up 2 hits and a walk, with a single from McCovey plating Pinky Higgins and Buster Posey.

Mathewson was chased from the game in the top of the 8th by a long solo homerun by Belle, with Mike Norris coming in for the Gothams. Mike Schmidt greeted him with a single, and Thurman Munson followed with a deep shot to the upper deck in right field to put the Black Yankees up by a run, 6-5.

Goose Gossage took over for the Black Yankees in the bottom of the ninth with the 1 run lead, and induced flyball outs from Higgins and Posey. But Mays shot a ball just inside the RF foul pole to tie the game at 6. So … EXTRA INNINGS!

The deadlock lasted until the top of the 12th, when Ruth led off against Robb Nen by blasting a ball deep into the night. David Robertson closed it out in the bottom of the inning to preserve the victory–and the series split–for the Black Yankees.

Ruffing had a hard time with the strike zone, walking 6 in 6 innings, as did Mathewson, who walked 5 in 7.2 innings. Overall, the Black Yankees’ bullpen was just slightly more effective (3 hits and 2 runs in just under 6 innings), which–along with some timely longballs–was the difference maker.

Rojas and Higgins had 2 hits for the Gothams. For the Black Yankees, Derek Jeter went 3-for-6 and five players (Ruth, Davis, Belle, Schmidt, and Munson) had 2 hits each. Belle drove in 3, and Munson’s 2 homeruns gave him 5 on the year.

NYY 7 (Robertson 2-1; Citarella 6 H; Gossage 3 BS) @ NYG 6 (Nen 2-3; Norris 2 BS) [12 Innings]
HR: NYY – Belle (5), Munson 2 (5), Ruth (13); NYG – Mays (4)
Box Score

Series IX Featured Series: San Francisco Sea Lions @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On July 9, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Eddie Plank @ Bill Byrd

Eddie Joost is a mystery to San Francisco–and to most fans of the WBL. His batting average sits under .150, but he draws enough walks to have an OBP over 100 points higher, and while he doesn’t hit with much power, when he does, the ball leaves the ballpark. In early April, that meant his slash line was 267/333/567. A month later, he’s at 131/277/250.

With 2 outs in the top of the 3rd, Joost took Baltimore starter Bill Byrd‘s second pitch over the right field wall for an early 1-0 lead for the Sea Lions.

But the Sea Lions’ Eddie Plank struggled mightily with his command, and after an error by John Beckwith helped load the bases, Plank walked in a run, and then allowed two more to score on a wild pitch and a passed ball.

Curt Blefary tripled home a run in the bottom of the fifth, extending the lead to 4-1.

In the top of the 7th, a single by Mickey Cochrane chased Byrd, who was relieved by Mike Mussina. Beckwith–who has showed some signs of life at the plate recently–singled, bringing up Joost. The Sea Lions decided not to pinch hit, and Joost rewarded them with … a groundball double-play to second base. Cochrane would score on a single by Rickey Henderson, but a great opportunity to get back in the game went by the wayside.

The Black Sox are the only team in the WBL without a designated closer, instead rotating key situations between Bob Miller and Don Bessent. Today was Bessent’s turn, and despite struggling with control a bit, he only allowed a double to Beckwith in the 9th, preserving the victory for Baltimore.

Baltimore scored 4 runs on only 5 hits, with Blefary’s triple and a double from Paul Blair the only extra-base shots. Byrd moves to 3-2 on the year, allowing 2 runs in 6 innings, with Mussina and Bessent combining for 3 innings of 3-hit, scoreless ball.

The Sea Lions saw Beckwith go 3-for-4 in the losing effort, with Henderson stealing 3 bases in a game for the first time this season. Plank evened his record at 2-2 with the loss, despite only allowing 1 earned run in 5 innings.

SFS 2 (Plank 2-2) @ BAL 4 (Byrd 3-2; Mussina 1 H; Bessent 5 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Joost (4).
Box Score

Game 2: Jim Devlin @ Johnny Sain

This may be a make-or-break game for San Francisco’s Jim Devlin, who comes in with an 0-2 record and a 6.57 era, allowing almost 2 baserunners per inning.

Both Devlin and his opposite number, Johnny Sain, gave up runs in the first. For San Francisco, back-to-back doubles by Pedro Guerrero and Reggie Jackson gave the Sea Lions an early 1-0 lead, while the bottom of the first was very Devlin: 2 hits, 1 walk, an HBP, an error … 8 batters faced, 2 runs scored, 1 earned.

But both would settle down. Sain allowed 1 more run, on an RBI double from Charlie Reilly, scoring Wally Moon and Devlin 2 more, on a double from Dan McGann and a sacrifice fly by Brooks Robinson, leaving the score 4-3, Baltimore, after 7 innings.

It would stay that way, with Ned Garvin, Buddy Groom, Gregg Olson, and Bob Miller combining for 3 innings of 1-hit relief to preserve the Black Sox victory.

Garvin finished with a good enough line for him (7 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 3 earned runs)–perhaps enough to stave off the demotion, but not to preserve his spot in the rotation.

SFS 3 (Devlin 0-3) @ BAL 4 (Sain 4-2; Garvin 2 H; Groom 3 H; Olson 2 H; Miller 2 Sv)
HR: SFS – Bloodworth (4)
Box Score

#Game 3: Cy Falkenberg @ Dennis Martinez

Dennis Martinez has been excellent so far, with a 3-1 record and a sub-4.00 ERA; Cy Falkenberg has been solid: his 2-0 record belies some poor outings leading to a 4.40 ERA.

Helped by a homerun from Eddie Joost, San Francisco was up 2-0 in the 6th, but then the wheels fell off for Falkenberg, with Harlond Clift hitting a grand slam as the Black Sox moved out to a 6-2 lead. A 2-run shot by Larry Gardner in the 8th provided the final margin of 8-2 as Baltimore moved to the verge of sweeping the four game series.

Martinez moved to 4-1, lowering his ERA to 3.42 in his 8 innings of work, while Falkenberg too his first loss of the year.

SFS 2 (Falkenberg 2-1) @ BAL 8 (Martinez 4-1)
HR: SFS – Joost (5); BAL – Clift (5), Gardner (3)
Box Score

#Game 4: Dennis Eckersley @ Mark Baldwin

Dennis Eckersley was absolutely hammered in his first start back from the DL, lowering his record to 1-3 and seeing his ERA balloon to 9.00. He’ll be opposed by Baltimore’s Mark Baldwin, who at 2-4, 6.62 has had his own fair share of struggle.

Both pitchers struggled, but somehow at the end of 5 innings, San Francisco only lead by 1, 3-2. A solo homerun by Jimmy Bloodworth in the 8th extended it to 4-2, and Ron Robinson and Rod Beck each pitched a 1-hit, scoreless inning in relief of Eckersley, who lowered his ERA by well over a run in his 7 innings of work.

Dan McGann and Frank Robinson each had 2 hits in the losing effort.

SFS 4 (Eckersley 2-3; Robinson 4 H; Beck 8 Sv) @ BAL 2 (Baldwin 2-5)
HR: SFS – Bloodworth (5)
Box Score

Series Notes

John Beckwith showed signs of emerging from his season-long slump, going 5-for-11 in the series for San Francisco.

For Baltimore, Dan McGann was 5-for-7 and Ken Singleton 5-for-15 in a series dominated by the pitchers.

Previewing Series IX: San Francisco Sea Lions @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On July 8, 2021

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Series IX is the debut in our featured matchup for both teams. San Francisco comes into the series at .500, 5 games back in the Marvin Miller Division, while Baltimore is performing above expectations, only 1 game back in the Cum Posey Division with a record of 19-15. Both teams won 3 out of 4 in their prior series (San Francisco against the Gothams, Baltimore against Philadelphia).

Expected matchups for the four games are (SFS first) Eddie Plank (2-1, 5.66) v Bill Byrd (2-2, 4.24); Jim Devlin (0-2, 6.57) v Johnny Sain (3-2, 4.57); Cy Falkenberg (2-0, 4.40) v Dennis Martinez (3-1, 3.63); and Dennis Eckersley (1-3, 9.00) v Mark Baldwin (2-4, 6.62).

Baldwin and Eckersley may be pitching for their lives in the final game; of the rest, perhaps the most interesting thing is Martinez, who is right on the edge of the top tier of WBL starters right now.

TWIWBL 10.4: Series VIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 7, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Warren Spahn was recalled to make a spot start, with Vic Willis heading back to AAA. Spahn, who had struggled earlier in the season, turned in his best performance of the year in a game Birmingham eventually dropped in 10 innings, unable to overcome errors by Troy Tulowitzki, Tommy Herr, and Chipper Jones.

2 homeruns from Eddie Mathews led the Black Barons to an 8-3 win in game 2, with Dick Rudolph leveling his record at 2-2 and Hoyt Wilhelm picking up his first save of the year with 3 innings of scoreless relief.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Like every other hurler who has attempted it, Don Drysedale was denied in his attempt to reach 5 wins on the year. Drysedale went 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, and seeing his ERA rise all the way to 1.26. Sandy Koufax took the loss in relief, giving up a walk-off sacrifice fly to Houston‘s Carlos Correa.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek went 3-for-4 with 2 homeruns, 4 runs scored and 5 RBIs, leading the Sea Dogs to a romp over Memphis, 14-6. Bobby Murcer added 4 hits, and Murcer, Buddy Bell, and Kiki Cuyler all went deep. Joseito Munoz made his WBL debut with 3.2 IP in relief of Smokey Joe Wood, who improved to 4-2 with the victory.

Walter Johnson had his worst outing of the year–5 runs in just over 5 innings along with 5 walks–but still improved to 5-0. Hrbek, Gil Hodges, Joe Mauer, and Jim Fregosi went deep, and Johan Santana escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 9th for his 13th save. Cuyler was injured in the game, and placed on the DL afterwards, with Jeff Burroughs being recalled from AAA.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Mickey Cochrane continues to climb out of an early season slump, hitting 2 homeruns and driving in 7, doubling his RBI total and lifting his average to .258. Jack Clark added 4 RBI’s in the 13-9 victory over the New York Gothams.

A homerun in the bottom of the eleventh by Reggie Jackson lifted the Sea Lions to a 4-2 win in extra innings. Bobby Bonds had 3 hits and 4 stolen bases in the game, with Charlie Root improving his record to 3-0 on the season.

TWIWBL 10.3: Notes from Series VIII – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 6, 2021

In TWIWBL

With two rainouts, the Spiders and the Grays ended up playing two doubleheaders. The losing team scored 1 run … combined. Three shutouts, and a 3-1 victory, as each twin bill was split.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cy Young delivered a complete game, 4-hit shutout to take the second half of the first doubleheader against Homestead, striking out 5 and evening his record at 2-2. Cleveland’s offense was led by John Ellis, who had 3 hits and a homerun, with Ron Blomberg and Bill Knickerbocker adding 2 hits apiece in the 8-0 victory.

Whit Wyatt opened the second doubleheader by combining with Chuck Porter and Terry Adams on a 6-hit shutout. Wyatt improved to 2-1 and brought his ERA under 3, but he also walked 7 in 7.2 innings, making the performance a little less impressive than it may seem.

#Homestead Grays

Vean Gregg and Stan Bahnsen combined on a 5-hit shutout in the first game of the series against Cleveland. Gregg pitched 7.1 innings, improving his record to 2-3, and Bahnsen followed with a perfect 1.2 for his first save. Davey Johnson had 3 hits and drove in 2, and Pops Stargell had 2 hits for the Grays.

Corey Kluber continues to improve his performances, but not his results: Kluber went 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs in the opening game of the second doubleheader, but fell to 0-6 on the season.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Danny Hoffman delivered a 3-run homerun in the top of the 9th against Ottawa’s closer Tom Henke, giving the ABC’s a 5-2 comeback win. Hal Morris added 2 hits, and Red Faber, despite not being involved in the decision, had a strong start. The win went to Lefty James, his first of the year, and Rob Dibble picked up his 5th save.

The last game of the series was almost a contender for the featured game. Indianapolis blew the game open in the fifth inning, scoring 5 runs, keyed by a 2-run double from Oscar Charleston and a 2-run single from Edd Roush (Roush had replaced Jake Stenzel, who was tossed for arguing ball and strikes in the first inning). Johnny Cueto was sailing along with one of the better games we’ve seen all year: a 2-hit shutout through 8 innings.

… and then came the 9th, with the ABC’s up, 9-0, thanks to 2 homeruns by Morris.

Cueto walked Tim Raines and Anthony Rendon, but got Freddy Parent to fly out to center for the first out. And then the wheels fell off: Carlos Delgado and Phil Bradly sandwiched RBI singles around a bases-loaded walk to Terry Puhl, and Cueto left the mound, still up 9-3.

Indianapolis called on the controversial Bronson Arroyo, who made waves by refusing to be sent to AAA despite a horrific season to date. Arroyo was as inefficient as ever this year: a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, an RBI single to Ken Griffey, Jr. and a pinch hit homerun to Gary Carter made the score 9-7 … but Arroyo finally ended the game with a groundout from Raines.

Arroyo was waived after the game, with Doc White–who had dominated AAA–being recalled.

#New York Black Yankees

New York salvaged a split in their series with Chicago thanks to 3 RBIs each from Don Mattingly and Thurman Munson, and 3 hits from Mike Schmidt. Each of them–as well as Lou Gehrig–went deep in the 12-6 win, which went to Lady Baldwin for 3.1 innings of 1-run relief of a hugely ineffective Dave Righetti.

#Philadelphia Stars

Jaret Wright had been hit hard in his first 5 WBL appearances, so there wasn’t much optimism when he was pressed into an emergency start in the Stars’ final game against Baltimore. Wright responded with 6.1 innings of 1-run ball, surrendering only 1 run to the Black Sox. Philadelphia made it stand up, winning the game 6-4 behind key 5th inning RBIs from Gavvy Cravath and Ted Kluszewski. Bob Howry picked up the save, his 9th, while Pedro Feliciano continued to collapse out of the bullpen. Feliciano gave up 3 runs in less than an inning, and is likely to lose his setup role as his ERA balloons close to 12.

TWIWBL 10.2: Series VII Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On July 4, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Ned Garvin shut out Philadelphia on 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4, improving his record to 2-1 in easily his best performance of the year.

A pinch-hit grand slam from Frank Robinson helped power the Black Sox past the Stars in the second game. Dennis Martinez had another strong outing, improving to 3-1 and Ken Singleton also went deep.

#Chicago American Giants

Frank Thomas hit 2 homeruns, leading Chicago past the New York Black Yankees, 8-4. Ben Sheets moved to 4-1 on the year with a strong effort, and Carlton Fisk and Joe Jackson also went deep.

In game two of the series, down 4-2 in the top of the 7th, the American Giants responded with 6 runs, shocking the Black Yankees and providing the final score in the 8-4 victory. The inning started with hits from Luke Appling and Dave Nilsson, chasing New York’s starter, Jake Scott, from the game. He was relieved by A.J. Burnett, who allowed a run to score on a wild pitch, then surrendered a single to Jackson to tie the game … and then things got rough, with Dick Allen hitting a 2 run homerun and Mike Fiore scoring on a fielders’ choice. Thomas went 3-for-5, and both Adrian Gonzalez and Duffy Lewis hit homers as well. The win went to Ed Walsh, who struggled through 126 pitches over 7 innings, allowing 4 runs. Akinori Otsuka and A.J. Minter combined for 2 scoreless innings in relief.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Stubby Overmire got a spot start and made the most of it, allowing only 2 runs in 7 innings against Brooklyn in a game Houston eventually won in the bottom of the 9th, with the victory going to Andrew Chafin, who evened his record at 1-1.

Jeff Bagwell went deep twice–perhaps an indication he’s finding his swing at last–to lead Houston to a 6-2 victory in the 2nd game, with Tony Gwynn adding 3 RBI’s as well. Trevor Hoffman moved to 3-0 on the year, after a decent effort from Stephen Strasburg.

#Ottawa Mounties

Jamie Moyer‘s WBL debut was a thing of beauty: 7.2 innings, 6 hits, 4 strikeouts, and a single earned run. Tom Henke‘s total meltdown was not–4 runs on three hits in the 9th inning, turning a 2-1 lead into a 5-2 defeat to Indianapolis.

The question of what it would take for Ottawa to give up on Randy Johnson–at least for a while–was answered: 1-4 with an ERA approaching 9 and a WHIP over 2. It’s unclear what the long term plans are in Ottawa: for now, Monk Dubiel gets a start and a likely quick hook, with Greg Holland called up to the bullpen.

Holland did well: 3.1 innings in relief of Dubiel (who gave up 4 runs in 3 innings), allowing only 1 run. It was enough, as Ottawa took advantage of a total implosion by Rob Murphy that included 2 bases-loaded walks and a grand slam by the suddenly red-hot Freddy Parent. It all added up to an 8-5 victory for the Mounties.

TWIWBL 10.1: Series VIII Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On July 3, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Hal Newhouser may be the spark Detroit has been searching for: while he didn’t figure in the decision, in his second start back from the DL, Newhouser delivered a sparkling 7 innings, striking out 8 and giving up only 2 unearned runs. A Hank Greenberg triple keyed a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Miami with Gene Conley getting the win, moving to 2-1 on the year, and Mike Henneman picking up his 4th save with a scoreless 9th.

#Memphis Red Sox

In a difficult roster position, the Red Sox waived Mel Parnell to bring Eddie Cicotte up to the WBL for a start. It did not go well, with Cicotte giving up 8 runs in 3 innings and likely earning himself a trip back to AAA in short order.

Nixey Callahan finally caught some breaks as another decent performance (3 runs in 6.1 innings) brought Callahan his 2nd win of the year. Reggie Smith and Ted Williams had 3 hits each, with Williams going deep twice, and Dustin Pedroia drove in 4 as the Red Sox took the opening game of a doubleheader in a rout, 13 to 4 over Portland.

Memphis swept the twin bill, using a timely 3-run homerun from Bill White to triumph 5-4 in the second game. Jon Lester got the win, improving to 3-2; Roger Clemens, in a relief appearance necessitated by a worn out bullpen, got a hold; and Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 3rd save of the year.

#New York Gothams

DH/OF Wally Berger will miss about 6 weeks with a fractured cheekbone, clearing the way for Yasiel Puig, who is tearing up AAA at a 327/420/604 clip, to make his WBL debt. Matt Thornton was released to make room for Puig.

TWIWBL 10.0: Series VIII Notes

By mknn

On July 1, 2021

In TWIWBL

{I forgot to finish this out, so a few teams played their first Series IX games before doing so.}

May 4th

Awards

The first monthly awards brought no surprises, as the Brooklyn Royal Giants‘ Don Drysedale won the inaugural Pitcher of the Month in the WBL, notching a 4-0 record and a 1.26 ERA and the New York Black Yankeess‘ Babe Ruth was the Player of the Month, hitting .404 with 10 homeruns, 27 RBIs, and 32 runs scored.

Ron Blomberg of the Cleveland Spiders was the Player of the Week, posting a.688 average over the past 7 days.

Performance

League Standings | League Statistics

The league saw its first two five game winners in Series VIII in Los Angeles‘ Gerrit Cole (5-1) and Portland‘s Walter Johnson (5-0).

Perhaps more noteworthy, a slight slump from the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth (he was dominant enough in early April that he was still, easily, the strongest offensive force in the league) has reduced his grip on the offensive categories. Ruth still leads the league in SLG, R, and WAR, but is only tied for the HR league at 12 (with Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary).

Leading SP: Walter Johnson (POR) 5-0, 3.21 ERA, 1.6 WAR; Gerrit Cole (LAA) 5-1, 4.12 ERA; Don Drysedale (BRK) 4-0, 1.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP; Ron Guidry (NYY) 4-2, 3.31 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 60 K.
Leading RP: Johan Santana (POR) 0-1, 3.48 ERA, 13 Sv; Bob Howry (PHI) 0-2, 9 Sv, 6.92 ERA; Ron Reed (PHI) 0-0, 2.16 ERA, 2 Sv, 8 H; Tom Niedenfuer (HOD) 0-0, 0.90 ERA, 7 Sv, 1 H; Joe Beggs (MEM) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 Sv, 0.90 WHIP; Jonathan Papelbon (MEM) 0-1, 0.96 ERA, 3 Sv, 2 H, 0.70 WHIP.

Leading Batters: Buster Posey (NYG) 407/471/720, 2.3 WAR; Reggie Jackson (SFS) 392/508/686; Babe Ruth (NYY) 373/462/731, 12 HR, 36 RBI, 38 R, 2.5 WAR; Joe Jackson (CAG) 368/459/692, 37 RBI, 2.4 WAR; Rico Carty (PHI) 330/389/554, 13 2B; Kal Daniels (LAA) 314/413/535, 13 2B; Terry Puhl (OTT) 246/315/412, 5 3B; Louis Santop (CLE) 305/348/475, 5 3B; Curt Blefary (BAL) 297/421/714, 12 HR; Eric Davis (NYY) 292/331/533, 42 RBI; Rickey Henderson (SFS) 292/456/416, 33 BB, 28 SB.

We’re getting to the point where projections begin to return to the world of possibility–Blefary and Ruth are on pace to clear 50 HR; Davis and Doug Rader (LAA) are on pace for over 180 RBI, and Henderson for over 125 SBs. All great marks, for sure, but none that are world-breaking.

Streaks

Memphis‘ Eddie Rosario has a 14 game hitting streak going into Series IX. Brooklyn‘s Beals Becker and Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace have reached base in 16 consecutive games.

San Francisco is just running amok on the base paths, with Henderson stealing 17 straight bases and Bobby Bonds and Dick Lundy successful on their last ten attempts.

Camilo Pascual saw his scoreless streak end at 19 innings, but Houston‘s Toad Ramsey now has a 15 inning streak going.

Detroit‘s Bob Bailey has the most impressive hot streak in the league right now, hitting 403/469/778 over his last 18 games with 7 HRs. Brooklyn’s Duke Snider has 6 HRs in his last 10 games, hitting at a 439/477/878 clip over that span.

Cleveland‘s Cy Young has a 1.89 ERA over his last 5 starts, but has come out of that with only a 2-1 record.

At the other end of the scale, Baltimore is struggling with three of the coldest hitters in the league: Paul Blair is hitting 102/197/136 over 19 games, Miller Huggins is hitless in his last 27 ABs, and Brooks Robinson is at 138/194/138 over 15 games.

Ottawa finally gave up on the Randy Johnson experiment after the Big Unit posted a 9.61 ERA over his last 4 starts. Hopefully some time at AAA might help the big left hander turn it around.

Series Results

Series VIII Sweeps

Houston over Brooklyn

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series VIII

House of David over Birmingham
Detroit over Miami
Indianapolis over Ottawa
San Francisco over New York Gothams

Series Splits in Series VIII

Baltimore v Philadelphia
Chicago v New York Black Yankees
Cleveland v Homestead
Kansas City v Los Angeles
Memphis v Portland