The American Giants swept San Francisco at home to close the week — 14-7, 8-5, 6-3 — and scored 50 runs in 7 games, the most in the division. An encouraging sign for a franchise at a crossroads this season.
Chino Smith did a lot of the damage: 2 homers at Detroit in an x-y win/loss, then 3 hits and a 2-run shot in the first game of the sweep.
Sam Streeter struck out 10 in 5 innings in the opening victory over the Sea Lions, and veteran soft-tosser Jamie Moyer has quietly been effective early, winning 2 out of the bullpen over the 1st week.
Miami Cuban Giants
Julio Rodríguez was injured running the bases on the 3rd and is on the disabled list — a serious blow, as the 20-year-old center fielder hit 42 homers with a 1.008 OPS last season. Mark Kotsay was recalled, and will see time in the OF with CF largely being patrolled by Yasiel Puig and Andy Pafko in JRod’s absence.
Portland Sea Dogs
Huston Street was signed as a FA and put to work immediately, working 2 scoreless innings in a 5-3 win over Baltimore. Harry Matuzak was optioned to AAA Seattle to make room for Street.
Walter Johnson struck out 10 over 6 innings in an 11-9 win at Los Angeles, with Bobby Murcer collecting 4 hits and 4 RBIs and Ken Griffey Jr hitting a 3-run homer.
San Francisco Sea Lions
Five losses in 6 games, and a sweep in Chicago to finish, leaves the Sea Lions last in the division at 2-5. Wait, what?
The bats have not been the problem. In the 14-7 loss that opened the sweep in Chicago, Jimmie Foxx hit 2 solo homers and Bobby Bonds had 3 hits and a 2-run shot. Bonds’ blast flew 459 ft, the longest home run struck in the division this week.
Aaron Heilman will miss about a week with a shoulder sprain, with the Sea Lions recalling Tim Hudson from his rehab stint to take Heilman’s place in the bullpen.
Ned Garvin deserved better. Finishing the suspended opener, he gave up one hit in five innings and struck out 10 — and lost. The hit was a Carlton Fisk home run leading off the second, Chino Smith got to John Tudor for a 3-run shot in the sixth, and Chicago took it 6-2. Still, an encouraging start to the season for Garvin.
The nightcap went the other way. Gavy Cravath hit a two-run shot off Waite Hoyt, Miller Huggins drove in three, and Dennis Martínez was good enough for a 5-3 win.
Tudor was injured later in the week, with Mike Mussina recalled from AAA Washington to take over Tudor’s swing role for the short-term.
Cleveland Spiders
Cy Young opened Cleveland’s season — a day late — with 6.2 innings, three hits, no runs and ten strikeouts, and Ryan Reed and Cody Gearrin finished off a five-hit shutout, 8-0 over Los Angeles. Lance Berkman hit a two-run homer.
Despite 14 hits, Cleveland fell 5-4 to San Francisco in 11 innings. Evan Longoria struck out 5 times, tying the American League record.
Another combined shutout came later in the week against Miami, as 5 arms combined on a 4-hit shutout with 17 (!) strikeouts: Mel Harder started, Whit Wyatt took over after a rain delay, and Reed, Aroldis Chapman and Terry Adams closed it out. Longoria — a better day this time — hit a two-run homer and Tris Speaker had three hits in the 4-0 win.
Adams was hurt in the series finale, but it’s not clear what the diagnosis is yet — a potentially impactful bit of news for the Spiders, although if he does go down, the recently-acquired Chapman would, assumedly, take over at closer.
Detroit Wolverines
The Wolverines are off to a WBL best 6-1 start to the season.
J. D. Martinez continues to impress, hitting a HR and 3 doubles in a 20 hit barrage against Chicago. The last was vital, as it scored Bobby Wallace with the winning run in the 9-8 victory over the American Giants.
Oscar Gamble closed the week with two home runs in a 5-2 win that saw Hal Newhouser improve to 2-0.
Wander Franco was hurt, with Damion Easley being recalled in his place.
Memphis Red Sox
FA Herman Long has been signed, presumably to take over at SS (Xander Bogaerts stays on the roster, but glove-man Adam Everett heads to AAA). Long was a platoon option for Birmingham, with Memphis hoping he can step into a larger role for them.
Ted Williams tied the franchise single-game record for runs, scoring 4 times, adding 4 hits (including a 2-run homer) as the Red Sox put fifteen hits on Los Angeles in a 10-5 win. David Ortiz had three hits and five RBIs, and Red Ruffing got the win despite giving up 5 earned in 5 innings.
Manny Ramírez hit 2 out in a 5-4 win over Baltimore. John Briggs also went deep, and, after blowing a lead, Armando Benitez claimed the victory.
Williams also launched the longest homer of the young season, a 480 ft. shot off Los Angeles’ Pud Galvin.
New York Black Yankees
The Black Yankees exploded in a 15-3 demolition of Detroit: 19 hits, 2 grand slams — Don Mattingly in the first, Mickey Rivers in the eighth — and home runs from Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in between. Rivers finished with 3 hits, 3 runs and 5 driven in, Manny Sanguillén had 3 hits and Ed Charles 4, with promising rookie Whitey Ford getting the win.
Eric Davis hit one of the hardest balls of the opening week: a 472 ft. bomb that left the bat at 115 mph off Miami’s Phenomenal Smith.
The Whirled Baseball League opened its third season on the first of April, 2002, but the weather proved a mightier force than the ump crying Play Ball! Four of the ten scheduled openers were impacted by the wet — Houston at Homestead, Birmingham at Brooklyn, Chicago at Baltimore and Los Angeles at Cleveland all went to the tarp, and all four were made up as day-night doubleheaders the following afternoon. Of the six games that did get played, three were interrupted by rain anyway.
After the first week, The Detroit Wolverines sit alone at 6-1. Nobody else in the league has more than five wins. But Detroit is doing it with mirrors: they have scored 43 and allowed 39, which should put them at about 4-3. So we’ll see what holds.
Awards
American League Player of the Week: Dick Allen, Chicago American Giants.
The 24-year-old third baseman opened the year 11-for-27 with three home runs, nine runs batted in and nine runs scored, a .407/.467/.963 line across thirty plate appearances.
National League Player of the Week: Roberto Alomar, Ottawa Mounties.
Fifteen hits in thirty-one at-bats, with two home runs earned Alomar the Award. In one of those early season oddities, he didn’t draw a walk or reach base any other way, so both BA and OBP sit at .484.
Opening Day Games
Kansas City 5, Ottawa 4.
Not a single home run was hit in this one, and it was still the best game of the day. It opened messily on both sides: Kansas City scored twice in the first, one of the runs on a passed ball, and Ottawa gave one straight back in the bottom half on a wild pitch. The Mounties drew level in the third, and there it sat.
Then the sky opened. A thirty-eight minute delay in the fifth ended both starters’ afternoons — Roy Halladay had kept Ottawa in it to that point — and Kansas City came out of the break with two runs in the sixth to lead 4-2.
Ottawa’s answer in the eighth was what lifted the game above the level of the mundane: Eddie Guardado came on for the Monarchs and Roberto Alomar greeted him with a line-drive double. Gary Carter followed with a double of his own — an absolute rocket that left the bat at 111 miles per hour — and Carlos Beltrán scored Carter on a single to center. Tie game, and Kansas City called on Lee Smith to stop the bleeding (which he did).
The winning hit travelled about ninety feet in the air. Doug Rader walked to open the ninth and, after Ted Simmons grounded into a force play, Kolten Wong singled Simmons to second. Frankie Frisch came on to pinch-run from there, tagged up to third on an Ozzie Smith fly ball to right, and scored when Cool Papa Bell beat out a weakly hit infield chopper that left the bat roughly 50 mph slower than Carter’s smash.
Craig Kimbrel set Ottawa down in order in the ninth for the save; the win went to Lee Smith for the eighth.
Benny Kauff finished the day with three hits for the Monarchs.
KAN 5 (Smith 1-0; Kimbrel 1 Sv; Guardado 1 BSv) @ OTT 4 (Dempster 0-1) HRs: none. Box Score
San Francisco 5, New York Black Yankees 2.
For six innings this was the pitchers’ duel the marquee promised: Lefty Grove struck out twelve over six and a third — tying the Sea Lions’ franchise record for a single game — and Andy Pettitte matched him nearly stride for stride with six shutout innings and eight strikeouts of his own. Through four the scoreboard was blank in both directions.
Lou Gehrig broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth, taking Grove over the wall with one out for the season’s first run at Yankee Stadium. That held until the seventh, when New York summoned Hoyt Wilhelm to protect the one-run lead.
Whoops. Turkey Stearnes led off the seventh and tied the game on the spot with his opening dinger of the season, and although New York handed Wilhelm a fresh lead in the bottom half — Don Mattingly driving in the go-ahead run for 2-1 — he gave that one back too, and then some. San Francisco put up three in the eighth. Reggie Jackson added a solo shot off David Robertson in the ninth for good measure.
So: blown save, loss, and four earned runs across two innings for Wilhelm, and even on opening day the questions start being asked about the Black Yankees’ bullpen. Trevor Hoffman got the win in relief, Joe Nathan handled the 8th, and Rod Beck finished it off — the Sea Lions’ pen had no such queries asked.
The week’s largest crowd — 54,814 — was treated to seven home runs (1 by a starting pitcher) and four lead changes. Don Buford led off the bottom of the first by putting a Luis Padrón offering into the seats, and Brandon Crawford did the same in the third.
Indianapolis finally solved Christy Mathewson in the fourth: Johnny Bench went deep with two out, and moments later, with a man aboard, Buddy Bell turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. It lasted one inning. HR Johnson answered with a two-run homer in the fifth, and the Gothams tacked on a couple more in the sixth to lead 6-3 with nine outs to go.
Which is where it got strange. Luis Padrón, still in at the DH for the ABC’s, led off the seventh by homering off Masahiro Tanaka, and two batters later Oscar Charleston hit a two-run shot to tie it at six. Tanaka had blown the save and, in the way these things sometimes go, was about to be rewarded for it: New York retook the lead in the bottom half, and Buford’s second home run of the day, a two-run drive in the eighth, put it out of reach.
Mathewson struck out ten but walked five and got no decision. Tanaka got the win. Nobody got much peace, but the fans got a good show to start the season.
IND 6 (Mitchell 0-1) @ NYG 9 (Tanaka 1-0, 1 BSv; Wilson 1 Sv) HRs: IND – Charleston (1), Bench (1), Bell (1); NYG – Buford (2), HR Johnson (1), Crawford (1). Box Score
Detroit 7, Miami 5.
Charlie Root was the story at first — five and two thirds innings, no runs, no walks, and eleven strikeouts. Detroit’s lineup took its time with Miami starter José Méndez, opening with doubles from Bobby Wallace and Charlie Gehringer before Oscar Gamble finally got one out of the park in the fifth. Eustaquio Pedroso came on in relief of Méndez and it went no better — Al Kaline took him deep for two in the seventh, Gehringer in the eighth.
Miami got a two-run shot from Alejandro Oms and three hits from Gary Sheffield, but never was able to overtake the Wolverines.
MCG 5 (Méndez 0-1) @ DET 7 (Root 1-0; Henneman 1 Sv) HRs: MCG – Oms (1); DET – Gamble (1), Kaline (1), Gehringer (1). Box Score
Portland 7, Memphis 3.
Walter Johnson started, went three and a third (departing after a rain delay in the 4th), and hit a home run. Paul Molitor added a two-run shot of his own and Ken Griffey Jr had three hits and two runs batted in. Memphis answered through David Ortiz, who drove in three with a homer, and Johnny Briggs, who had three hits, but Portland held the lead throughout.
POR 7 (Trout 1-0) @ MEM 3 (Overmire 0-1) HRs: POR – Molitor (1), Griffey Jr (1), Johnson (1); MEM – Ortiz (1). Box Score
Philadelphia 9, Wandering House of David 5.
The ageless wonder that is Rico Carty opened the season by going 4-for-4 with a home run and Roger Peckinpaugh (sitting in at SS for Philadelphia for the suspended Jim Fregosi) drove in three, and Philadelphia was never really threatened once Hardie Henderson got through six. The House of David did get 2 homers from young John Beckwith and another from Anthony Rizzo. Jack Taylor gave up eleven hits in the loss.
You Always Remember Your First Houston’s Pete Hill is 0-for-17 with eight strikeouts. He posted a .800 OPS over 594 plate appearances last season, which makes him the furthest any regular has fallen from his own track. Memphis’s Herman Long is 0-for-10 since being signed to solve shortstop for the Red Sox, and Chicago’s Jay Bell and Birmingham’s Ron Fairly are also hitless.
The Root of Things Nine and a third innings, seventeen strikeouts — the league lead — and not one walk for Detroit’s Charlie Root.
Singles? We Don’t Need No Stinking Singles. Baltimore’s Gavy Cravath has six hits this season — three doubles and three home runs. Josh Gibson (Homestead), Manny Ramírez (Memphis), Oscar Gamble (Detroit) and Jack Clark (San Francisco) are also yet to hit a single this season.
Swing, miss, duck. The Sea Lions’ Lefty Grove has sixteen strikeouts in eleven and a third innings — and a 6.35 earned run average and 0-1 record to show for it.
Who Needs the DH? Five homeruns came from pitchers during the opening week. 2 came from Charles Rogan (Philadelphia), which isn’t terribly surprising, but Walter Johnson (Portland), Luis Padrón (Indianapolis), and Jim Whitney (Miami) all joined in as well.
{ The first of 20 team previews as we head into the new season! }
State of the Franchise
Two springs ago, very few saw Baltimore as a contender — and the Black Sox answered by running up the best record in the inaugural year of the WBL and winning the Whirled Series over Detroit in 7 games. Then came last year: 77-85, 4th in the Bill James Division, 13 games out and never really in contention. Through both the coronation and the collapse the org’s self-image hasn’t flinched — Baltimore believes they are merely unlucky. The assumption is that 2000 was real and 2001 was, well, not.
There’s a case, and it revolves around names you’ll be seeing for a decade: Frank Robinson is 22. Cal Ripken Jr is 23, Manny Machado 24, Bryce Harper 21. All but Ripken were part of the championship run.
2001 Revisited
We spent last spring at maximum confidence. “The best team in the league adds the best free agent,” we wrote of the Gavy Cravath signing — the biggest free-agent deal in WBL history — and declared that anything short of a second straight title would be a disappointment. To our modest credit, we named part of the way it could go wrong: the pitching reverts to mediocre, and Cravath and Dan McGann show their age.
The pitching, it reverted.
The arms were miserable — mostly because they were hurt. Ned Garvin, a Brock Rutherford Award contender before he went down, lost 10 months. Sean Marshall, unhittable in 2000, was out for close to a year. Justin Hampson came out of nowhere to make the AL All-Star team out of the bullpen and then went down for most of the second half. What was left included a game, but only slightly better than mediocre Dennis Martínez, and a revolving door for Jim Palmer, Mike Mussina, the since-departed Bill Byrd, and the since-acquired Gene Conley among others.
The offense did well enough: Robinson turned in another excellent season (308/394/674, a team-best 48 homers and 114 RBI). Cravath’s bat justified the checkbook — 44 homers, 111 RBI, Ripken emerged as a genuine middle-of-the-order masher at shortstop: 32 homers, a Silver Slugger, runner-up for Rookie of the Year, and Harper — the youngest of the bunch — chipped in with a quiet (!) 41-homer season. And the gloves showed up — Gold Gloves for Paul Blair in center and Miller Huggins at second (Huggins is especially impressive, as he wasn’t anointed the full time 2B until well into the season).
Bottom line: the bats and the leather were championship-grade; the pitching was a rumor.
Opening Day Rookies: Curt Flood; Jeff Montgomery; Emil Yde
Best Case for 2002
Health, mostly. Garvin comes back as the arm he was, one of Palmer or Martínez finally pitches to the level the advanced numbers indicate possible, and for once Baltimore fields something resembling a front of a rotation instead of a rehab ward. The young bats each take the half-step their ages promise; the Gold-Gloves up the middle keep turning balls in play into outs; and a club that was never really a 77-win team — just a team with a 77-win record — climbs back into the division race.
Worst Case for 2002
The curse holds.
The arms keep breaking, nobody announces themselves as an ace, either through performance or organizational choice, and both Cravath at 37 and McGann at 38 start acting their age. This last is a little less of a cliff — there is some talent behind them, but it has to step up (looking at you, Eddie Murray). 77 wins becomes 74, in the flattest, least-tradeable way possible.
Key Questions
Is there a No. 1 starter — and would they trust one if there were? Baltimore has ace-grade arms — Garvin, especially, but the org can’t bring itself to commit: Palmer’s plain ERAs get him doubted every year even as the context says he’s a real front-of-rotation starter, and the winter’s reclamation flier, Warren Spahn (acquired under the assumption the proverbial change of scenery will unlock his talent, despite him being thoroughly disastrous in every opportunity over 2 years) opens the year at Triple-A. Mussina? Also AAA. You can’t run a rotation on flavor-of-the-month forever.
Who covers the middle infield? Behind Ripken and Huggins there is Cliff Pennington and a prayer with Bobby Wallace being sent to Detroit at last season’s deadline. Baltimore has lost its 2 leading MI reserves — Asdrúbal Cabrera to Birmingham in trade and Brian Roberts to Miami via waivers. Ripken and Machado can cover each other, but it gets thin quick.
Does the aging value convert? Cravath and McGann are challenging: the worst case is they don’t perform and, therefore, cannot be traded for value at the All-Star break. Cravath’s contract may prohibit that, regardless, but in the best of all worlds, Baltimore is able to move them on midseason, escaping both their cost and their age.
What is center field, exactly? This is actually a mirror of the ace question. To analysts the answer is obvious: it’s Paul Blair, a two-time Gold Glover whose bat, while poor, isn’t horrific. But the Black Sox remain restless, with Earl Averill stashed at AAA and Curt Flood brought over from Birmingham.
Roster Evaluation
Tier = the player’s 2001 positional grade (S best → F worst; color coded S A B C D F). Bold names carry a substantive WBL track; italic names are pure projection — a hope, not a grade — with no qualifying track to anchor them.
Pos
Players
C
Blefary B · Haller
1B
McGann C · Murray
2B
Huggins B
SS
Ripken Jr A · Pennington
3B
Machado C
LF
Robinson S
CF
Blair D · Flood
RF
Harper B · Singleton D
DH
Cravath B
SP
Martínez D · Palmer D · Garvin · Cuellar · Tudor
RP
Groom C (CL) · Olson D · Hampson · Montgomery · Marshall
A genuine S/A middle of the order in Robinson, Ripken, and Harper, a Gold-Glove spine down the center of the field, and some great supporting pieces. But the mound is clearly in need of significant improvement (health, of course, will help).
Behind the plate, Curt Blefary is under more pressure than it may appear — his glove is fading fast, but he stays behind the plate for his bat and through his reputation. Rumors are surfacing of him being spotted far too often in bars near the stadium after games — great for interacting with the fans, perhaps not so much for on-field performance.
Talent Ratings
WBL
Minors
Raw Power
RF Gavy Cravath
RF Ron Northey
Batting Eye
LF Bryce Harper
3B Frank Ward
Contact
CF Curt Flood
CF Gene Clines
Running Speed
SP Ned Garvin
3B Frank Ward; RF Billy Lush
Base Stealing
SP Ned Garvin
LF Hub Collins; RF Jack McGeachey
IF Defense
SS Cal Ripken Jr
SS Mark Belanger
OF Defense
CF Paul Blair
RF Bill Jacobson
Stuff
RP Jeff Montgomery; RP Gregg Olson
RP Steve Kline
Control
RP Buddy Groom
SP Johnny Sain
Velocity
RP Gregg Olson
RP Rafael Betancourt; RP Frank Francisco
Best In The Minors
Rank
Age
Pos
Name
1 (18)
23
RF
Ron Northey
2 (35)
23
LF
Hub Collins
Others: IF Bruce Bochte, P Steve Avery, IF Gunnar Henderson, IF Willie Montañez, IF Jose Altuve, P Bill Drake.
Graduated to the active roster since the ranked list: Eddie Murray (72), Emil Yde (78), Curt Flood (100).
A very different list than a year ago — because the system did its job. Cal Ripken Jr was the org’s No. 3 prospect a year ago, and Murray, Yde, and Flood all broke camp with the big club. Last year’s No. 1, second baseman Chino Smith, was inexplicably released, ending up with Chicago. What’s left is frankly underwhelming: Ron Northey (AAA), a corner bat, and Hub Collins (AAA) brought over from Detroit. Ninth-best system in the league at last count, mostly for the unranked talent, led by Henderson, Altuve, and Drake.
Superlatives
Most
Least
Age
Dan McGann, 38
Frank Ward, 17
Height
Gene Conley, 6’8″
Bobby Mathews, 5’5″
OPS
Frank Robinson, 1.068
George Gibson, 0.541 (A)
HR
Frank Robinson, 48
Frank Ward, 0 (AA)
SB
Frank Ward, 50 (AA)
–
WAR (bat)
Frank Robinson, 4.3
Bill Jacobson, -1.2
W
Gio González, 13 (AAA)
–
SV
Frank Francisco, 22 (AA)
–
ERA
Joe Cascarella, 3.52 (AA)
Gene Conley, 7.42
WAR (pit)
Mark Baldwin, 4.7 (AAA)
Johnny Sain, -0.2
Stats across all levels, 2001 season. 200 PA / 75 IP minimum. Non-WBL levels tagged in parentheses.
With just over a week left in Spring Training, we get to see how panicked some teams are, and how much they want to shake things up before opening day.
Unsurprisingly, we start with the Black Yankees and their perennial win-now mentality.
#The Black Yankees Add MI
NYY sends RP Aroldis Chapman, IF Mark Grudzielanek, 2nd Round Pick to CLE for IF Joe Sewell, IF Bill Phillips.
This is more fallout from the Grant Johnson trade in some ways: Sewell will have every shot at displacing Derek Jeter at SS for New York, and the team looks set to juggle their middle infield between those two, Robby Thompson, and Rogers Hornsby.
For Cleveland, they took a blocked talent–Sewell was never displacing Arky Vaughan–and converted it into a great bullpen arm and a valuable pick.
#The Red Sox Have a Rotation
Unsatisfied with just adding Don Drysdale and Red Ruffing, Memphis went shopping on the West coast.
MEM sends IF Dobie Moore, OF Dwight Evans, P Mike Witt to LAA for P Tom Seaver, IF Xander Bogaerts, IF Andrelton Simmons, C Mark Salas.
Clearly, the spine of the deal is Seaver for Moore, but this one has a lot of repercussions: Memphis continues to weed out some of its OF talent, and takes a gamble on Seaver continuing to develop at the WBL level. SS for Memphis is now a scramble between the two new bodies, Adam Everett, and Bud Harrelson; while for Los Angeles, this settles at least half of their middle infield question, and opens the door for some more arms to prove themselves in the rotation as they look to the future.
#CAG Settles at SS. Maybe.
CAG sends U Trea Turner & IF Yoán Moncada to HOU for IF Travis Jackson.
Jackson is clearly ready for WBL time–here he may actually get it; in return HOU gets a prospect in search of a position and one of the ST surprises in Moncada.
#Monarchs Make Moves
KAN sends OF Dale Murphy & IF Carlos Baerga to NYG for OF Benny Kauff.
A classic now v later move. Murphy is desperately in need of a change of scenery, and Baerga remains 4-5 years away, while Kauff should help deepen a lineup in need of power.
But Kansas City wasn’t done.
KAN sends P José Rijo, P Jeff Pfeffer & 1st Round Pick to LAA for 3B Doug Rader.
The Albert Pujols at 3B experiment looks to be officially over, with Los Angeles clearly reacting to the loss of Seaver. Expect David Wright and/or Pedro Álvarez to inherit the hot corner for the Angels.
And this led to another move for Los Angeles.
LAA sends P Brett Anderson & 3rd Round Pick to HOD for IF Richie Hebner, OF Cy Williams & 2nd Round Pick
Los Angeles has now gotten rid of their 2 best pitchers from last season: this is either great faith in their stockpiled arms or pure madness.
#Easy as A-B-C
IND sends P Tom Glavine, P George Medich, P Jack Billingham & IF Robin Ventura to POR for IF Buddy Bell.
Indianapolis gets an all star and former gold glove winner to take over at the hot corner, while Portland lands a lot of future potential, headlined by the 19 year old Glavine.
This deal set the stage for the next one.
IND sends IF Ed Charles & P Dan Plesac to NYY for P Jeff D. Robinson & P Jack Armstrong.
The Black Yankees get a decent bench piece for the price of a Rule V selection–which seems fair to all. The other two arms are essentially fliers–Armstrong back to his seed franchise, Plesac as a veteran LHP hedge.
#Memphis Not Done Yet
MEM sends IF Candy Jim Taylor, P Nathan Eovaldi & 1st Round Pick to BRK for OF John Briggs & 3rd Round Pick.
This one has some heads shaking. Memphis and Brooklyn team up again, with the Red Sox landing what they hope is the CF of the future, and Brooklyn adding some minor league talent and a coveted #1 pick.
Briggs has been doubted every step of his career–this is just another chance for him to prove the haters wrong. For Brooklyn, it clears CF for Duke Snider, and also means their OF glut can now route into the DH for the year.
#BB to BBB
BAL sends IF Asdrúbal Cabrera, P Bill Byrd, IF Roy Smalley Jr. & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for P Steve Avery, P Gio González, P Warren Spahn, OF Curt Flood & 1st Round Pick.
An interesting deal.
In 7 years, Baltimore may see this as a massive win–if Avery develops, if González becomes a rotation starter, if the 1st Round Pick pans out and, perhaps most of all, if a change of scenery reboots Spahn’s career.
That’s a lot of if’s. In the meantime, Birmingham gets a potential answer to their SS woes and a front of rotation arm that excels in limiting homeruns, the Black Barons’ current Achilles’ heel.
Welcome to the true beginning of Year III of the WBL! We start with the Winter Meetings, and will continue through the Rookie Draft and the Rule V Draft, on our way to Spring Training.
I want to take a moment here to pull the curtain back a little. I’m sure everyone that does these kind of extended, solo play projects has, from time to time, wished they had a partner, a co-commissioner of sorts that could help make judgement calls, look for patterns, initiate trades, etc.
So I’ve tried to build one in Claude. I know some of you may peace out of this thread at this point, but I also wanted to disclose its use. Note that all of the writing and all of the decision making in the WBL remains mine.
This has been, perhaps, the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done with AI. There are two primary obstacles: first, limiting Claude’s view to the OOTP universe and second, overriding Claude’s deeply rooted programming to always agree and to instantly change it’s mind at the faintest whiff of pushback.
CoPilot totally failed on the former, but Claude–with a lot of work on guideline files and the like–does well there. But the second thing … oh my effing god … we’re still trying to find ways to address this.
Anyhow, it’s been an interesting project, and I assume that, as both I get better at the structural architecture beneath the hood and Anthropic continues to improve the product, it will eventually be a stable, pleasant thing.
Onto some team by team notes from the Winter Meetings.
#Baltimore Black Sox
Looking to shore up their bullpen, the Black Sox splashed on a 3 year contract for Jeff Montgomery.
#Chicago American Giants
Chicago signed Hank Aguirre on a 2-year deal for a little less than $600,000–a reasonable flier to take on a starter who was good in 2000, then injured.
#Homestead Grays
The Grays signed Brook Jacoby for some veteran insurance at 3B.
#New York Gothams
In their eternal search for starting pitchers, the Gothams agreed to a 1 year deal with Vic Raschi worth just under $1M.
#Wandering House of David
The House of David signed Dellin Betances, hoping to bolster their bullpen. The 28 year old inked a 3 year, $2.1M contract–pretty reasonable.
77 - 85, .475 pct.
4th in Bill James Division, 13 GB
Overall
Quite a fall from winning the championship the previous season, with most of the fault being in (what else?) a faltering pitching staff.
Baltimore finally began to play well in August, but by then it was too late to do much other than play spoiler.
Most of the off-season focus in on the staff. There is a young core of position players, led by the emergence of Cal Ripken Jr and the continued brilliance of Frank Robinson, and with the right side of the infield being retooled, things seem OK offensively (although there is some skepticism that the turn to Eddie Murray over the aging-yet-still-productive Dan McGann may be being rushed).
But on the mound, a massive amount of improvement is needed, led by figuring out exactly who the starting pitchers are here.
What Went Right
Everything revolves around Frank Robinson, who at 22 is one of the elite talents in the game, slashing 308/394/674 and leading the team in HR, RBI, and runs scored.
Cal Ripken Jr really elevated his game, making an argument to join the elite shortstops in the WBL, showing power (32 homers) and decent bat control and defense.
Gavvy Cravath delivered, with 44 homeruns and 111 RBIs, making his free agent signing a success despite his sub .250 BA.
Bryce Harper continues to show up with an OPS just over .900 and good speed, even if his ultimate OF position seems to still be evolving.
This was supposed to be 1B Dan McGann‘s last year, but the 38 year old posted a .400 OBP with a little power to boot, complicating the Black Sox’s desire to turn the position over to Eddie Murray.
Miller Huggins took over at 2B, showing great defensive skills and an insane ability to get on base–Huggins ended up with the Gold Glove in the AL, a testament to just how good he was with the glove despite missing a fair chunk of the year in the minors.
Speaking of Gold Gloves, Paul Blair won his 2nd in CF. Still can’t hit.
Finally on the offensive side, Curt Blefary continues to be decently above average behind the plate, even with an overall slip in performance from last year’s heights.
So, that’s a decent amount, and certainly a strong enough list to warrant being in the playoff hunt. Until you get to the pitching. What went well … hmm …
Justin Hampson came out of nowhere to make the All Star team out of the pen. He got injured, so it was only 27 appearances, but they were pertty spectacular.
And … yeah … that’s about it. I mean, Buddy Groom was serviceable as a closer when called upon. Jim Palmer was never given a steady rotation spot, but was probably the best starter they had. Meh.
ALL STARSJustin HampsonFrank Robinson
MAJOR AWARDSPaul Blair, AL CF Gold Glove
Miller Huggins, AL 2B Gold Glove
Cal Ripken Jr, AL SS Silver Slugger
RECOGNITIONSCurt Blefary, All AL 3rd Team
Gavvy Cravath, AL Over 30 Team
Buddy Groom, AL Over 30 Team
Tom Haller, AL All Rookie Team
Bryce Harper, AL 21 & Under Team
Miller Huggins, All AL 3rd Team
Cal Ripken Jr, All AL 2nd Team; AL Rookie of the Year 2nd Place; AL 25 & Under Team; AL 23 & Under Team; AL All Rookie Team
Frank Robinson, All AL 3rd Team; AL 23 & Under Team
ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDSFrank Robinson, MVP
Justin Hampson, Pitcher of the Year
Curt Blefary, Heart & Soul
Miller Huggins, Fan Favorite
Dick Ellsworth, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Asdrúbal Cabrera, Minor League Player of the Year
What Went Wrong
Larry Gardner and Bobby Wallace–key components of the championship season–were either hurt or injured. That opened the door for Ripken Jr and Huggins, but still.
And then there’s the pitching.
Injuries and indecision kept Baltimore from, aside from Dennis Martínez, settling on a rotation. Martínez was mediocre at best (12-8, 5.12), but he did provide steady consumption of innings.
Ned Garvin was worse then El Presidente, but looked to still be suffering the effects of his long-term injury.
Beyond that … misery. Johnny Sain, Bill Byrd, and Gene Conley were downright bad as spot starters and Gregg Olson and Sean Marshall were rocked coming out of the bullpen.
Baltimore needs bounce-back seasons from nearly everyone.
Transactions
March
None, and hopes were high.
July
P John Wetteland & 4th Round Pick to POR for P Mike Cuellar.
Cuellar was decent and Wetteland has been awful, so consider this a small win.
August
IF Bobby Wallace & P Connie Johnson to DET for P Gene Conley, P Bill Drake, P Emil Yde, OF Hub Collins, & 2nd Round Pick.
Interesting trade for sure. It all hinges on how well Drake and Yde develop, but the contours of the deal make sense for Baltimore.
P Joe Beggs & 2nd Round Pick to KCM for OF Earl Averill.
Averill looks poised to displace Blair in CF, so this one looks OK as well.
Positional Overview
C
Curt Blefary is the answer here for a while, with Tom Haller behind him.
Should Haller falter, there are some options, most notably Ramón Hernández and Billy Earle.
1B
The plan was for Eddie Murray to take over here and Dan McGann to … well, do something. But McGann continues to offer significant offensive performance, and Murray struggled a bit in adjusting to WBL pitching. But the Black Sox are likely to stick with the plan, either using McGann as a high volume backup or finding a trade partner for him.
There is some talent in the system, from veteran Jim Bottomley to youngsters Willie Montañez and Bruce Bochte.
2B
Miller Huggins has made this spot his own, but that’s what Baltimore thought about Larry Gardner last year. Still Huggins’ defense and ability to get on base seems likely to stick.
Asdrúbal Cabrera, the organizational minor league player of the year, is likely to serve as the reserve infielder next year.
SS
Cal Ripken Jr looks to have this sewn up.
There is an intriguing choice for a backup in Mark Belanger, who cannot hit, but is a defensive wizard. It’s more likely the Black Sox keep using Machado and perhaps Cabrera behind Ripken Jr.
3B
Manny Machado has his detractors, but he really is quite solid, delivering 44 homeruns and 99 RBIs.
Brooks Robinson at AAA is better defensively, and the future may belong to either Frank Ward (still only 17) or Gunnar Henderson, but for now, this is Machado’s spot.
LF/RF
If we assume better options exist in CF, this looks to be Frank Robinson and Bryce Harper, with support from Ken Singleton, Phil Bradley, and perhaps occasionally Gavvy Cravath.
Baby Doll Jacobson has been solid when given the chance, and Steve Brodie, Ron Northey, and Larry Sheets all look like they could help out if needed.
CF
It’s the offense of Earl Averill against the defense of Paul Blair here. As is often the case in these situations, look for Averill to get the nod, with Blair’s playing time expanding if he struggles at the plate.
At 18, Paul Hines is well regarded, and either Gene Clines or Homer Smoot may still grow into something useful.
DH
This should be Gavvy Cravath‘s primary position.
SP
The Black Sox seem committed to Dennis Martínez and Ned Garvin, and Jim Palmer has done enough to warrant a more extended time here. So that leaves two open slots, with the competition between Bill Byrd, Mike Mussina, Mike Cuellar and a host of new names, led by John Tudor, Emil Yde, and Dick Ellsworth.
Mark Baldwin and Bob Welch should be useful at the WBL level, while the brightest lights lower in the system are probably Bill Drake, Joe Decker, and Milt Pappas.
RP
Buddy Groom will hold onto his role as closer, but his grip on that is tentative at best.
Look for the Black Sox to give Justin Hampson more time, Sean Marshall a chance to recover his form from last year, and Gregg Olson another chance, just because. Some of the players that miss out on the rotation will be here, and the trio of DJ Carrasco, Frank Linzy, and Mike Munoz will get a peek as well.
Look for the Black Sox to give Phil Bradley and Asdrúbal Cabrera a few starts over the final week of the season, with Dick Ellsworth and Kevin Tapani continuing to get extended looks on the mound.
Bradley and Cal Ripken, Jr. each hit 2 out, leading the Black Sox to a 10-6, come from behind victory over Portland.
#Cleveland Spiders
Joe Smith was sent down with Bob Tewksbury being recalled as the Spiders try to overtake the Black Yankees for the division title.
#Detroit Wolverines
JD Martinez has forced the Wolverines to give him more playing time with an OPS nearing 1.300 in 35 games. That means his OPS is–in limited appearances–higher than Ty Cobb‘s. I don’t care if you do that in 5 games or 35, that’s impressive.
Some notes as we move through the final week of the season.
#Monday
Miami moved in front of Detroit by a half game in the AL Wild Card race behind a great start from Phenomenal Smith, whose return may be a difference maker for the Cuban Giants. Smith gave up 1 run in 7 innings, moving to 4-0. Hal Newhouser was good for Detroit, but an early homer from Gary Sheffield and a late one from Joe Adcock sealed the game for Miami.
Miami Cuban Giants
77-79
—
Detroit Wolverines
77-80
0.5
AL Wild Card
Cleveland was supposed to have an easy time of it, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox. But the Spiders’ bullpen collapsed, and they dropped a 9-8 decision to the visitors, who were powered by homers from Lefty O’Doul, Hack Wilson, and David Ortiz.
New York Black Yankees
89-67
—
Cleveland Spiders
87-69
2
Bill James Division
In a series that means more for Indianapolis than Philadelphia, the ABC’s opened with a decisive win, 15-8 over the Stars. Johnny Bench hit 2 out, and the game wasn’t as close as the score (Philadelphia tallied 5 in the 9th to make it more respectable).
Houston Colt 45s
81-75
—
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
3.5
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
4.5
Marvin Miller Division
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
1
Wandering House of David
76-81
2
NL Wild Card
#Tuesday
Detroit pulled back into a dead heat with Miami, pounding out 6 homeruns (2 from JD Martinez) in an 11-5 win. Ernie Lombardi, Tony Lazzeri, Oscar Gamble, and Ty Cobb also went deep for the Wolverines in an easy win for the visitors.
Detroit Wolverines
78-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
77-80
0.5
AL Wild Card
Memphis did it again, beating Cleveland 4-2, and dropping the Spiders 2.5 games behind the Black Yankees. Homers from Reggie Smith and Wade Boggs backed a strong showing from Stubby Overmire, who moved to 13-9 on the year. The Spiders, however, remained only 2 games behind the Black Yankees as New York fell to San Francisco, 9-0, as Bump Hadley improved to 18-6 with a masterful 1-hitter.
New York Black Yankees
89-68
—
Cleveland Spiders
87-70
2
Bill James Division
Philadelphia stormed back from a 7-1 deficit, beating the ABC’s 8-7 on a pinch-hit walkoff shot from Aaron Judge–his 60th of the year–in a game that saw 2 grandslams, one from Indianapolis’ Ed Swartwood, the other from the Stars’ Charles Rogan. This was good news for Houston, who dropped a 9-8 decision to the New York Gothams, who were powered by 2 homeruns from Willie Mays. Houston remains 3.5 games ahead in the Marvin Miller Division.
Riding an excellent start from Rick Reuschel, the House of David pulled into a tie with Kansas City by defeating the Monarchs 3-1. Reuschel was supported by Ryne Sandberg‘s 40th homer of the year, and the win leaves both teams 1 game behind Indianapolis in the Wild Card race.
Houston Colt 45s
81-75
—
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-79
3.5
Kansas City Monarchs
77-80
4.5
Marvin Miller Division
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-80
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-81
1
Wandering House of David
77-81
1
NL Wild Card
#Wednesday
What you see depends on where you stand: Miami fans will be miserable at their bullpen’s performance, as the Cuban Giants’ relievers surrendered 11 runs over the final 4 innings n an 11-8 loss to Detroit. Wolverines fans, of course, will be applauding the clutch performance of their team, led by Juan Beníquez‘ 4 hits and 3 RBI’s from Charlie Gehringer and Bob Bailey. The win moves Detroit 1.5 games up in the Wild Card chase.
Detroit Wolverines
79-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
77-81
1.5
AL Wild Card
The Spiders are struggling, but they refuse to give up: a Larry Doby homerun and walkoff RBI single from John Ellis gave Cleveland a 9-8 win over Memphis, keeping them at least within touch of the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division crown. Willie McCovey hit his 15th homerun in 35 games, and Paul O’Neill (the first of his WBL career) and Ron Blomberg also went deep.
The Black Yankees fell to San Francisco, as Eddie Plank earned his 20th win of the season with 6 strong innings for the Sea Lions. San Francisco’s bullpen–Ken Howell, Joe Nathan, and closer Rod Beck–fanned 7 of the 9 batters they retired, with Beck earning his 40th save of the season.
New York Black Yankees
89-69
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-70
1
Bill James Division
Houston bounced back in a big way, using a phenomenal start from Ice Box Chamberlain and 7 homeruns to beat the Gothams, 9-2. Chamberlain allowed 1 hit in just under 8 innings, fanning 12 and 2 of the important cogs in the Colt 45’s late season surge–OF Gorman Thomas and C Will Smith–carried the team, twice launching back-to-back homeruns. Jim Wynn led off the game with a dinger, and Paul Goldschmidt and Jim O’Rourke also went deep.
The victory sealed the pennant for Houston, setting off raucous celebrations in the home dugout. It also meant all of the attention in the NL is now focused on the final Wild Card Spot, currently owned by Indianapolis, but with Kansas City and the House of David hot on their heels (and Homestead still hanging around with at least a mathematical chance).
After fighting back from a 6-1 deficit, Indianapolis suffered a gut-wrenching loss, falling to Philadelphia, 12-8. The Stars were led by homeruns from Sherm Lollar, Harmon Killebrew, Jung Ho Kang, and Sherry Magee.
Ryne Sandberg had 4 hits including a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the 8th as the House of David topped Kansas City, 6-5. Jack Taylor continued a late-season rebound with a solid start, but both bullpens struggled in this one. The victory moves the House of David into a dead heat with Indianapolis in the Wild Card chase, with Kansas City 1 game back.
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-81
—
Wandering House of David
78-81
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-82
1
Homestead Grays
76-83
2
NL Wild Card
#Thursday
Miami just refuses to lose: Cleveland had taken the lead, 5-4 in the 6th inning, but the Cuban Giants scored 8 runs in their final 2 frames in a 12-6 victory. Miami pounded out 17 hits, led by 3 each from Jim Thome and Martín Dihigo. The game was never sure: Cuban Giants pitchers gave up 8 walks, so the Spiders had constant traffic on the basepaths. But they did just enough, with homeruns from Julio Rodríguez, Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, and Thome.
With the result, the Spiders drop to 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees and the Cuban Giants move to 1 game behind Detroit in the Wild Card race.
Detroit Wolverines
79-80
—
Miami Cuban Giants
78-81
1
AL Wild Card
Speaking of the Black Yankees … their bullpen continues to be their Achilles’ heel, with 4 relievers giving up 9 runs in 2.1 innings. Ouch. The big blows were homeruns from Jimmie Foxx and Bobby Bonds as San Francisco defeated New York, 13-10.
New York Black Yankees
89-70
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-71
1
Bill James Division
#Friday
The Black Yankees continue not to grab the Bill James Division by the throat, falling to lowly Baltimore 5-4 in the opening game of the final series of the season. Homers from Eddie Murray, Manny Machado, and a final go-ahead blast from Earl Averill gave the Black Sox the edge in another game that saw less than stellar performances from New York’s bullpen.
Two homers from Gary Sheffield carried Miami to a 5-4 win over Cleveland, preserving New York’s 1 game advantage, and keeping the pressure on Detroit. The Cuban Giants got another strong outing from Jim Whitney, and were able to fade a 9th inning comeback from the Spiders for the victory.
So what will Detroit do with their opportunity?
Play a game for the ages where they held leads of 3-1, 4-2, 9-5, and 10-6. And it was never enough as, after closer Mike Henneman was forced from the game with a back injury, Troy Percival came in and gave up a grand slam to Manny Ramírez and a walkoff shot to Gabby Hartnett. Both Ramírez and Hartnett had 2 homers in the game, while Al Kaline had 2 for Detroit. Kaline had 3 hits and 7 RBIs while Hartnett had 4 hits for Memphis. A true thriller of a game that leaves everything pretty much undecided.
New York Black Yankees
89-71
—
Cleveland Spiders
88-72
1
Bill James Division
Detroit Wolverines
79-81
—
Miami Cuban Giants
79-81
—
AL Wild Card
The House of David fell to Houston 8-2, as all eyes turned to the 4 game series between Indianapolis and Kansas City.
Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood and the ABC’s’ Luis Padrón squared off in the series opener and while each pitched well, neither were involved in the decision. Instead, after a 2 run shot from Ducky Medwick tied the game, Kansas City won it on a sacrifice fly from Dale Murphy in the bottom of the 9th. So Padrón fails in his attempt to win his 24th game of the year and, more importantly, Kansas City forces a 3 way dead heat for the final Wild Card spot.
Indianapolis ABC’s
78-82
—
Wandering House of David
78-82
—
Kansas City Monarchs
77-82
—
Homestead Grays
76-84
2
NL Wild Card
#Saturday
Memphis keeps embracing their role as spoiler while relying on a handful of late season call ups. In this case, Bucky Walters gave a good starting performance, Lefty O’Doul had 3 hits, and Wayne Causey drove in 2 with an 8th inning single for a 5-3 victory over Detroit.
It sure looks like Miami has found a key part of their rotation: Phenomenal Smith improved to 5-0, combining with Ricky Nolasco on a 3 hit shutout of Cleveland. Smith struck out 10 before yielding to Nolasco, for the last 2 outs. Martín Dihigo drove in 2 runs, continuing his second half surge.
Miami moves a full game ahead of Detroit for the Wild Card slot, and Cleveland falls 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division title, with New York’s magic number reduce to 1.
And then it was none. New York topped Baltimore 11-7 behind homers from Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris, giving the Black Yankees their first Bill James Division title.
Miami Cuban Giants
80-81
—
Detroit Wolverines
79-82
1
AL Wild Card
Oh boy … Indianapolis has nobody to blame but themselves.
Behind a great start from Johnny Cueto and 3 RBI’s from Oscar Charleston, the ABC’s took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th, with their closer, Rob Dibble, on the mound. Dibble got one out, and then 16 of his next 20 pitches missed the strike zone, resulting in 4 consecutive walks, scoring a run. Rob Murphy relieved Dibble, and an RBI groundout and 2 wild pitches later, the game was tied at 6.
Cool Papa Bell walked in the bottom of the 10th, stole second, and scored on a hit from Ozzie Smith, moving Kansas City a game ahead in the Wild Card race.
#Sunday
The final day of the season leaves both final Wild Card spots up for grabs: in the AL, Miami has a 1 game lead over Detroit and in the NL, Kansas City has the edge over both Indianapolis and the House of David.
Miami was unable to clinch it: Larry Doby became the 2nd player in WBL history (and the first in the AL) to hit 4 homeruns in a game, driving in 7 as Cleveland topped the Cuban Giants, 13-7. That leaves Miami’s fate in the hands of Detroit later in the day.
Detroit used a mix of the old reliable–2 homeruns from Al Kaline and 1 from Ty Cobb–and the newly acquired (a strong start from Connie Johnson and key innings from Steve Howe and Troy Percival) to beat Memphis, 8-4.
And so, we finish in a dead heat.
Miami Cuban Giants
80-82
—
Detroit Wolverines
80-82
—
AL Wild Card
Eppa Rixey combined with 4 relievers (including an important 1.2 innings from Doc Mitchell), leading the ABC’s to a 7-3 win over Kansas City, meaning Indianapolis and the Monarchs finish with identical 79-83 records. The only question is if the House of David will join them in a 3-way tie for the final playoff spot.
Nope.
The House of David tried valiantly, and even outhit Houston, 10-8, but they fell to the Colt 45’s, 10-9 in a game that saw Tony Gwynn rap out 3 hits, reaching 200 on the season. Richie Hebner, Ryne Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo each had 2 hits, but they didn’t get enough support as the House of David season ends, falling just short of the postseason.
#Monday
So, two playoff games, winner makes the postseason.
#AL
First up, we have Miami visiting Detroit.
The Cuban Giants will turn to Hugh McQuillan who, despite being roughed up in his last start, has been solid for Miami. If he struggles early, look for Jim Whitney to try to give the team some innings on short rest. For Detroit, Pete Conway will take the mound, also on a pretty short leash.
Ty Cobb may be almost universally disliked, but his baseball talent cannot be denied: he launched a 3 run homer in the top of the first and a grand slam in the 2nd, helping Detroit to a 9-0 lead after 2 innings.
Conway, meanwhile, had allowed a single run on 3 hits through 5, and left after 6 with the score 13-2.
Miami scored 3 in the 9th, but fell well short, 14-5. In the end, a just result, as Detroit really feels like the better team. Still, the Cuban Giants went from being the worst team in the league to being this close to the playoffs: a good year for them.
Cobb finished with 2 homers and 7 RBIs, and Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Lombardi, and Hank Greenberg each also went deep. There was some bad news on Greenberg, who will be out of action for a few days with a leg injury.
#NL
Indianapolis would turn to Doc White while Kansas City gave the start to young Matt Morris.
Kansas City took an early lead on Albert Pujols‘ second homerun of the game, pulling ahead 6-3 after 3 innings, with the ABC’s runs coming on longballs from George Foster and Chris Sabo.
Morris was OK–not great, but not bad–until Tommy Helms singled and scored on a double from Barry Larkin in the top of the 4th. A Bob Bescher walk put runners on the corner, and fetched Frank Castillo from the bullpen. The move backfired as Sabo and Oscar Charleston singled and, after a couple of outs, Johnny Bench brought home 2 with a single of his own, giving Indianapolis an 8-7 lead. Foster followed with his 2nd dinger of the game, extending the lead to 10-7 and chasing Castillo. His successor, Bob Shawkey, gave upa solo shot to Helms and when all of the dust settled, the ABC’s had scored 8 and were up 11-7.
The ABC’s coasted from there, riding additional homeruns by Ed Charles and Sabo to a 15-8 win, powering Indianapolis into the postseason. Sabo drove in 5 and Foster 4, with each of them notching 3 hits on the day.
Kansas City had ridden its pitching staff all year; here their arms betrayed them, surrendering 14 hits and 15 runs.
Justin Hampson and, perhaps more importantly, Gavvy Cravath have been recalled from rehab assignments. Without much to play for, Baltimore may limit Cravath’s appearances as they look to next season. Rafael Betancourt and Ken Griffey Sr were returned to the minors.
With RA Dickey‘s retirement, Baltimore decided to take a look at Dick Ellsworth, removing Dickey from the roster, although they have allowed him to remain with the team as he decides whether or not he has a career in coaching.
Dennis Martínez will get 2 more starts over the final 2 weeks of the season, and Ned Garvin will, as he continues his return from injury, take his regular turn: aside from that, it’s a bit of a free for all, although Kevin Tapani‘s strong debut guarantees him a few starts as well.
Ellsworth’s debut was fantastic: 6 plus innings and only a single run in a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles. Hampson also made his return with a scoreless 8th inning.
Sean Marshall was recalled from the DL with Joe Cascarella heading back to AAA.
#Cleveland Spiders
Lance Berkman and Ron Blomberg each went deep twice as the Spiders dominated Chicago, 13-6. The win (along with a victory in the resumption of a suspended game) pulled Cleveland, at least temporarily, 1/2 game ahead of New York.
#Detroit Wolverines
Wes Covington–coming off a 50 HR season at AAA–was recalled, along with IF Damion Easley and lefty Wilson Álvarez. Logan Hensley was returned, clearing room for Hank Aguirre‘s return from the DL.
JD Martinez went deep twice and the Wolverines edged in front of Miami for the final Wild Card spot with a 5-4 win over San Francisco.
#New York Black Yankees
Jorge Orta did nothing wrong to be sure, but with Grant Johnson due back from a rehab assignment, he was the odd man out, heading back to AAA. Ultimately, Johnson’s return means a reduction in time for quite a few players, most notably Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, and Nick Etten.
Mattingly and Lou Gehrig had 2 homers each, and Johnson had 4 hits, including 3 doubles, as the Black Yankees overcame a poor start from Ron Guidry to beat Detroit, 11-8 in 10 innings.
The Black Yankees clinched their expected playoff spot in dramatic fashion, scoring 6 in the top of the 9th to top Detroit, 9-6. The win puts New York in a dead heat with Cleveland atop the Bill James Division and, as importantly, drops Detroit into a tie with Miami for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Gehrig hit 2 more out, reaching 62 for the season, and Babe Ruth added his WBL record 70th, as the Black Yankees beat Cleveland, 7-2. The win means New York will go into the final week of the season with a 1.5 game lead over the Spiders.
