Tag: Bill Byrd Page 4 of 6

TWIWBL 31.0: Series XXIV Notes

By mknn

On January 13, 2023

In TWIWBL

July 14th

Early Pennant Race Update

Look, it’s July. Not even late July. Mid July. It’s far too soon to talk pennant races, right?

Never.

Bill James Division

The Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are neck and neck, separated by a single game. Both the Wandering House of David and the Los Angeles Angels are close enough–5 games back–to make a move, but they can’t let too much more separation occur between them and the league leaders.

Cum Posey Division

The Baltimore Black Sox–with the best record in baseball–just can’t shake the Chicago American Giants, who are 5 games back. The rest of the division would need to make a significant move to change this from a two team race, with the Houston Colt 45’s–9 games back–the closest.

Effa Manley Division

The Cleveland Spiders are writing a great story, having overtaken the dominant favorite New York Black Yankees, who they now lead by 3.5 games. Everyone expects the Black Yankees to catch up, but they also never expected Cleveland to be where they are. The Indianapolis ABC’s sit 8.5 games back.

Marvin Miller Division

The Portland Sea Dogs leads the division by 5.5 games, but the story here is really the sudden resurgence of the Birmingham Black Barons, who have ridden a great streak to pull within 5.5 games. The Brooklyn Royal Giants sit 7 games back.

Performance

As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.

Batters

Everything is tightening up: 6 batters sit between .336 and .339 for the league lead in BA, but the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth continues to be the dominant offensive force in the league. It’s still a long list, though.

Dick Allen (CAG). 307/374/557. 9 3B.
Johnny Bench (IND). 301/420/585. 4.5 WAR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 289/361/469. 34 2B.
Willie Davis (PHI). 283/336/509. 9 3B.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/439/544.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/394/351. 72 BB; 64 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 308/375/593. 27 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 339/422/598. 74 R.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 339/410/646. 27 HR.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 336/447/610.
Willie Mays (NYG). 325/382/536. 119 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 337/396/591. 121 H; 34 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 325/378/542. 92 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/447. 69 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 321/431/659. 30 HR; 91 RBI; 78 R; 69 BB; 5.3 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 311/345/467. 9 3B.

Pitchers

There are 5 other pitchers tied with Bill Byrd with 10 victories; other than that the top 3 in each category are listed with the league leader in bold. No idea why Alejandro Peña is so highly rated in WAR.

Starters

Bill Byrd (BAL). 10-2, 3.20. 1.19 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.03.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.86. 142 SO.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.13. 138 SO.
Roy Halladay (OTT). 3-9, 4.13. 1.19 WAR.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.57. 3.4 WAR.
Johnny Marcum (DET). 9-2, 3.33.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.91.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR.
Jack Scott (NYY). 10-4, 4.10.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.81. 3.2 WAR.

Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats. Top 2, leaders in bold.

Terry Adams (CLE). 0-5, 3.60. 23 Sv.
Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.20. 17 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.54. 24 Sv.
Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.18. 0.92 WHIP.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP.
Ron Reed (PHI). 0-3, 2.52. 16 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.15. 13 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.23. 18 Sv.

Streaks

There are 4 active on-base streaks of note, led by Brooklyn’s Beals Becker (30 games). Iván Rodríguez (POR, 27 G), Don Buford (LAA, 26), and Boog Powell (KAN, 25) are also live. Not much else: George Stone of the Wandering House of David has delivered 4 straight pinch-hits.

Series Results

Series XXIV Sweeps

Kansas City Monarchs over San Francisco Sea Lions

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXIV

Indianapolis over Brooklyn
Detroit over Chicago
Homestead Grays over New York Black Yankees
House of David over Los Angeles
Portland over Philadelphia Stars

Splitting Series XXIV

Baltimore @ Miami Cuban Giants
Cleveland @ Birmingham
New York Gothams @ Houston
Memphis Red Sox @ Ottawa Mounties

TWIWBL 30.0: Series XXIII Notes

By mknn

On December 12, 2022

In TWIWBL

July 10th

Looking Back at the All Star Trades

We’re a month(ish) on from the all-star break, seemed a good time to look back at the trades and see how they are working out in the early days.

Boom Shaka Laka

The Los Angeles Angels and the Ottawa Mounties swapped 8 players, with early returns making the Angels–by far–the winner in the exchange as veteran 1B Carlos Delgado is slashing 344/400/547 since the trade, providing what may be the final piece to the Angels’ puzzle. While Rusty Staub has done OK for Ottawa, none of the rest of the pieces have shown much at all. Wally Moon, who the Angels picked up from San Francisco, has been impressive as well, slashing 354/458/458 since the break. Two of the pieces the Angels gave up for Moon–C Brian Downing and P Dave LaRoche–have done well for San Francisco (Downing at AAA, LaRoche with the Sea Lions themselves), so this deal may work out for both sides.

Encouraging

The New York Gothams gave up a haul for Don Sutton, and so far it looks OK: Sutton looks to join the Gothams’ rotation shortly, posting a 2.70 ERA in 8 relief appearances. For Brooklyn, two of the prospects received are doing quite well: OF Don Mueller is slashing 387/395/653 and P Lew Krausse, Jr. has started his career with his new organization with some strong outings on the mound.

All-Star Ron Reed has just continued his strong year having moved from Philadelphia to Cleveland, with an ERA of 0.75 over his first half-dozen games with the Spiders. Even more importantly for Cleveland’s playoff push, OF Lance Berkman looks to have blossomed with the change in scenery, slashing 276/417/500 with 4 HRs since coming over from Houston–a jump of of over 200 points to his OPS. The Spiders gave up 7 players across those 2 deals, none of which have earned significant playing time with their new clubs, although both Jap Payne (sent to Philadelphia) and Harry Stovey (to Houston as part of the Berkman deal) have hit well in limited appearances).

The Chicago American Giants brought in 4 pitchers, with encouraging returns from Dick Rudolph (acquired from Miami) and Hoyt Wilhelm (from Birmingham). The best prospect the American Giants gave up–Minnie Miñoso to the Cuban Giants–has been injured, so the jury is still out on this deal in general, but it looks alright so far, even if Don Newcombe has struggled mightily, and may have been overvalued at the trade deadline. Perhaps as importantly, the American Giants seem to have solved their SS question, as all-star Freddy Parent has continued his strong form since joining them from Ottawa.

Birmingham’s fire sale went well. We’ll cover some of those below, but both Curt Flood and Manny Trillo–picked up in the trade of Frank Isbell (who has been alright) to Brooklyn–are both tearing up AAA.

Meh

The Baltimore Black Sox have to be pleased with Manny Machado‘s performance so far, as he’s slotted quite comfortably as their everyday 3B. But the Miami Cuban Giants can’t really complain, as they aren’t going to compete for a while and Joe Dugan is tearing up AAA while Chris Hoiles has established himself as a C at the big league level. The Black Sox also brought in Joe Beggs from Memphis to solidify the end of their bullpen. Results have been mixed so far.

Memphis’ fan base was quite critical of a few of their moves, and Roger Clemens‘ short-term success in Houston has only increased their fury. But Stubby Overmire has added some depth to their staff and perhaps more importantly, 2B DJ LeMahieu and P Jim Kaat look to be strong prospects for Memphis’ future.

Disappointing

Portland hoped picking up Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City would spark their offense for a playoff push, and while he’s better than Greg Litton, his .648 OPS is actually pretty Littonish, and a far cry from his .853 mark over the first half of the season.

Tim Hudson was supposed to solidify San Francisco’s rotation, but was roughed up in his first few starts. While he’s shown signs of coming around, the 36 year old is only 1-3 with an ERA north of 5 since his move to the Left Coast. Rube Melton, one of the pieces the Sea Lions gave up for Hudson, has excelled at AAA for Birmingham, and looks to be a nice pickup for the Black Barons.

Another one who took a bit to find his footing, Tom Herr, is finally showing some life for the New York Black Yankees. Still, a 228/267/298 slash is not what the New York faithful had hoped to see from their All-Star acquisition. The Black Yankees’ other significant acquisitions–Jamie Moyer and Gary Lavelle–have struggled as well, although Lavelle has been installed as their closer, which is more a comment on the other options than a compliment to him. Several of the prospects they gave up–Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller for Birmingham and Dick Bartell and Sam Thompson for Ottawa–are performing very well for their new organizations, so these trades may come back to haunt New York.

Performance

As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.

Batters

Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown hunt is back on! And Babe Ruth‘s dominance just continues unabated.

Dick Allen (CAG). 298/368/550. 9 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/410/646. 1.056 OPS. 26 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 295/362/480. 34 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 336/379/533.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/337/528. 4.1 WAR.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/441/539.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 253/389/342. 67 BB, 64SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 301/370/582. 26 HR.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 337/449/610. 1.059 OPS.
Willie Mays (NYG). 316/373/523. 112 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 331/390/585. 115 H, 31 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 316/373/523. 112 H, 88 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/454. 66 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 314/424/656. 1.080 OPS. 29 HR, 88 RBI, 73 R, 66 BB, 5.0 WAR.
Mike Trout (LAA). 318/390/455. 112 H.

Pitchers

It’s just all over the place, once you move past the dominant performances by Ned Garvin (BAL) and Gerrit Cole (LAA).

Starters

Bill Byrd (BAL). 9-2, 3.29.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP.
Gene Conley (CLE). 10-2, 3.17.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.84. 135 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.15. 135 K.
Waite Hoyt (NYY). 8-2, 3.29. 1.15 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.60. 3.2 WAR.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.96.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-4, 3.55.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.84. 129 IP.

Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats.

Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.23. 17 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.67. 23 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.14. 3 Sv, 7 H.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP.
Ron Reed (CLE). 0-2, 2.26. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.58. 12 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.24. 4 Sv, 12 H.
Billy Wagner (HOU). 0-2, 3.63. 11 Sv, 2 H, 0.90 WHIP.

Streaks

Not a lot of interesting active streaks. Brooklyn’s Beals Becker–who has the league record for consecutive games with a HR with 5–has a 25 game streak of getting on base. It’s no Thurman Munson, but it’s something. Becker is slashing 382/432/853 over his last 10 games. Gary Pettis, once considered a liability at the plate, is slashing 600/667/1050 over his last 15 games (because of Pettis’ utility as a defensive replacement, those 15 games cover only 24 ABs).

Christy Mathewson (NYG) hasn’t allowed a hit in over 8 innings.

Baltimore’s entire staff is on fire: Bill Byrd, Ned Garvin, Sean Marshall, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer are all on hot streaks on the mound. The most impressive is Byrd, who has a 1.07 WHIP and 2.38 ERA over his last 10 games.

Series Results

Series XXIII Sweeps

Cleveland over Indianapolis

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXIII

Baltimore over Brooklyn
Birmingham over Los Angeles
Houston over Chicago
Detroit over Portland
Kansas City over Philadelphia
New York Black Yankees over Ottawa

Splitting Series XXIII

Homestead @ San Francisco
House of David @ Memphis
Miami @ New York Gothams

TWIWBL 25.0: Series XIX Notes

By mknn

On June 6, 2022

In TWIWBL

June 22

Performance

Best Batters

Reggie Jackson of the San Francisco Sea Lions is oh-so-slowly being drawn back to the pack. He still leads the WBL in BA (by 11 points over Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg) and in OBP (by 26 points over Homestead‘s Mike Epstein), but the New York Black Yankees‘ Babe Ruth has retaken the lead in SLG. Ruth has actually struggled recently, seeing his BA drop all the way down to .303, but over half his hits are for extra bases.

Looking at the leaderboards, a few things of note:

Ruth remains the only player in the top 2 in more than a few categories.
Ottawa‘s Tim Raines has taken over the SB lead, ahead of San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.
The Chicago American Giants offense remains formidable, with four different players listed.

As usual, bold indicates a league leader, and the top 2 in most categories are included.

Dick Allen (CAG). 303/367/565. 8 3B.
Rico Carty (PHI). 296/362/487. 30 2B.
Eric Davis (NYY). 278/331/556. 24 HR, 59 R.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 335/440/527.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/381/398. 53 BB.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 281/352/467. 25 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 263/39/369. 57 BB. 53 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 330/409/583. 59 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 353/466/634.
Willie Mays (NYG). 332/389/569. 98 H. 3.9 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 342/411/640.
Doug Rader (LAA). 317/371/537. 74 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 305/383/456. 58 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 303/410/643. 25 HR, 72 RBI, 61 R. 3.8 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 301/335/446. 8 3B.
Frank Thomas (CAG). 339/432/580. 96 H.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 321/420/461. 25 2B.

Best Starting Pitchers

It’s going to be interesting seeing how this develops. There is no real front-runner for the best pitcher in the league. Cleveland’s Cy Young shows up in the most categories, and when you consider how much of a workhorse he is, perhaps that puts him in front. But Los Angeles‘ Gerrit Cole is the only hurler in double-digits in wins, and Baltimore‘s Dennis Martínez is the only one with an ERA under 3.00.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 7-2, 1.12 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 11-3, 3.92.
Ray Collins (PHI). 7-5, 3.62. 112 IP.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 6-3, 3.11
Bob Feller (CLE). 7-4, 5.07. 11.0 K/9.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-4, 3.78. 10.1 K/9. 112 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-7, 4.20. 115 K.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.77. 2.8 WAR.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 9-4, 2.91.
Don Newcombe (CAG). 2-9, 6.15. 1.4 BB/9.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 9-2, 3.74.
Cy Young (CLE). 7-3, 1.12 WHIP. 1.6 BB/9. 114.2 IP. 3.1 WAR.

Best Relievers

Joseíto Muñoz has moved into Portland‘s rotation, but is a long way from having enough IP to be listed with the starters. A similar move may be looming for Indianapolis‘ Willie Mitchell. The best ERAs for pure relievers with over 20 IP belong to Ken Howell (San Francisco) and Aroldis Chapman (Miami Cuban Giants).

Terry Adams (CLE). 0-4, 4.24. 18 Sv.
Aroldis Chapman (MCG). 2-1. 1.42. 13 Sv.
Gene Conley (DET). 7-1, 3.96. 4 H.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.41. 3 Sv. 4 H. 0.94 WHIP.
Mark Melancon (HOU). 7-1, 3.12.
Willie Mitchell (IND). 3-2, 1.27. 1 Sv. 1 H.
Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 3-1, 1.17. 3 Sv. 2 H.
Ron Reed (CLE). 0-2, 2.72. 3 Sv. 12 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.57. 22 Sv. 1 H.
Brian Wilson (SFS). 1-0, 1.61. 12 Sv. 0.90 WHIP.

Streaks

Most notably, Thurman Munson‘s remarkable streak of reaching base in 43 consecutive games ended.

George Hendrick (Philadelphia) and Doug Rader (Los Angeles) each have extra-base hits in 6 consecutive games. Rader is slashing 448/448/966 over those six games, while Hendrick is at 560/593/1.120 over his last 27 plate appearances.

Mike Norris of the New York Gothams hasn’t allowed a run in his last 14 appearances.

Lance Berkman‘s change of scenery hasn’t seemed to help, as the new Cleveland Spider is mired in a slump where, over 13 games, he’s managed only a 109/180/109 slash line.

Series XIX Results

Series XIX Sweeps

Indianapolis over San Francisco

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XIX

Baltimore over Kansas City
Philadelphia over Birmingham
Brooklyn over Chicago
Homestead over Miami
Los Angeles over Memphis
Houston over Ottawa

Series Splits

Cleveland @ New York Black Yankees
Wandering House of David @ Detroit
New York Gothams @ Portland

TWIWBL 24.0: Mid-Season Reviews – Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On February 14, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

{The next 20 (!) posts are midseason reviews for each team. They have a consistent structure, and should provide a snapshot for each franchise halfway through the inaugural season.}

Summary

Overall, Baltimore is one of the big surprises in the league, heading into the midpoint of the season with a league-best 45-29 record, giving them a 2 game lead in the Cum Posey Division.

What’s Gone Right

The Pitching. The trio of Dennis Martínez, Ned Garvin, and Bill Byrd is easily the best in the league, with a combined record of 20-8 and ERA’s all within 10 points of 3.00. But it doesn’t stop there. Sean Marshall, Bob Welch, and Mike Mussina are all pushing hard to replace either Johnny Sain or Jim Palmer (who have struggled fairly equally) as starters, with all three of them posting eye-popping numbers, albeit in limited innings.

No Closer, No Cry. The Black Sox were ridiculed for splitting the duties between Don Bessent and Bob Miller. Bessent has 9 saves to Miller’s 3, but that’s been more accidental than intentional, and both have been highly effective.

Top of the Order. Three players with OBPs over .400 (Bobby Wallace, Dan McGann, and Larry Gardner) followed by as destructive a duo as you’ll find anywhere in Frank Robinson and Curt Blefary is enough to build an offense around.

What’s Gone Wrong

The Blair Project. Paul Blair‘s continued struggles certainly stand out. Blair’s been good defensively, but can’t get his OPS over .650.

Infield Woes. Third base and the backup infielder roles have been pretty poor: both Miller Huggins and Brooks Robinson were moved down to AAA, but neither Brian Roberts nor Cal Ripken, Jr. have really done much, either. Harlond Clift has been the de facto starter at 3B, but is hitting under .200 with an OPS barely over .600.

The AAA Gap. Baby Doll Jacobson might have been the best hitter in AAA when he was called up. Roberts and Ripken, Jr. were smacking the ball there. All have struggled since their WBL debuts. The gap between AAA and the WBL is significant.

Key Storylines

Moving Garvin into the starting lineup has paid massive dividends, and with Welch and Mussina’s performance, the Black Sox haven’t lost anything from the middle of the bullpen.

Sticking with Bryce Harper through his early season struggles is proving smart as well, with the 19 year-old now sporting an OPS just over .700 with a great batting eye.

Trading Outlook

HOLDING.

They would like to buy, but there aren’t a lot of obvious possibilities. They need a solution at 3B. Alex Johnson and Merv Rettenmund seem the most obvious pieces. There are some live arms in the minors as well.

AAA Shuttle

Not a lot. Ripken, Jr. and Jacobson will stay in the majors for at least a few more weeks, although both are struggling to adapt to big league pitching. Chick Stahl would be next in line to try his hand at unseating Blair if it comes to that.

Midseason Changes

Mussina has just been too good, and will start the second half as the fifth starter ahead of Palmer. Sain only has a few starts before his spot is under consideration as well.

Brooks Robinson has recovered his batting eye at AAA, and with Clift struggling so mightily, he will be recalled with Clift heading to Washington. Worst case, Robinson is a better glove.

Awards

Player of the Week: Frank Robinson (5/15); Dan McGann (5/22)

All Stars: Bill Byrd (P); Curt Blefary (C); Ned Garvin (P); Sean Marshall (P); Dennis Martínez (P); Dan McGann (1B); Bobby Wallace (SS).

Offensive MVP: Curt Blefary (C)
Pitching MVP: Ned Garvin (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Washington Senators

Next to the Show: OF Merv Rettenmund (25), Chick Stahl (31); P BJ Ryan (27)

Prospects: 1B Eddie Murray (21).

Projects: SS Mark Belanger (24), OF Merv Rettenmund (25), P Milt Pappas (22).

Suspects: P Mike Flanagan (31), OF Ken Griffey, Sr. (33), C Tom Haller (31).

AA: Charlotte Hornets

Prospects: 2B Asdrúbal Cabrera (21) and OF Larry Sheets (24).

Projects: 3B Joe Dugan (26), 1B Willie Montañez (18), RPs Dave Smith (26) and Jeff Karstens (23).

Suspects: OF Corey Patterson (26), SP Willie Sudhoff (30).

TWIWBL 21.0: AL All Star Selections

By mknn

On January 25, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

Here we go! It is the 14th of June, time to finalize the inaugural All-Star rosters!

We’ll start with the AL.

The bottom line is that the Baltimore Black Sox and the Chicago American Giants lead the way with seven players each. Chicago has four starters, while the Black Sox have four pitchers going to the midseason classic.

Both the Ottawa Mounties and the Houston Colt 45’s are sending a lone player to the game. For Ottawa, this is no surprise, but for Houston–who have been hovering around .500 most of the season–it highlights the limits of a team of solid contributors, but no stars.

Ottawa’s Tim Raines was easily the hardest omission, and one that may, in the end, prove indefensible.

In the list in each section, players in bold are the selections.

Catchers

The top three are pretty easy here. The House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks is the clear starter, with over half his hits going for extra bases. There’s not a lot to choose from between the New York Gotham‘s Buster Posey and Baltimore’s Curt Blefary–Posey is hitting .348, but Blefary has been among the power leaders in the league all season–but they are head and shoulders above the other candidates, the best of which is probably Chicago’s Carlton Fisk.

Blefary has handled a strong pitching staff well, putting up a CERA just over 4.00 while Posey has thrown out 30% of would-be base stealers, leading this group. Ottawa’s Emil Gross has been the best defensive catcher in the AL, but has neither hit well enough nor played enough to really merit consideration.

Curt Blefary (BAL). 265/379/578; 19 HR; 47 RBI.
Carlton Fisk (CAG). 288/401/440.
Emil Gross (OTT). 218/290/370.
Elrod Hendricks (HOD). 314/363/628; 15 HR; 18 2B.
Buster Posey (NYG). 348/440/535; 16 2B.

First Base

Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Wolverines is the best of the pure first basemen, and will start at the position. But Chicago’s Frank Thomas has been the best hitter at the position, putting together a monstrous 355/445/596 slash line. Thomas will start for the AL at DH, having played roughly half the innings in the field as Greenberg.

There’s really not a lot between Baltimore’s Dan McGann and the Memphis Red Sox‘s Bill White–McGann has an OBP over .400, while White has hit for solid power for the Red Sox. McGann has been among the better defensive 1B in the league, so that may tip the scales in his favor.

Hank Greenberg (DET). 306/367/589; 15 HR; 19 2B; 56 RBI.
Dan McGann (BAL). 303/405/488.
Frank Thomas (CAG). 355/445/596; 15 HR; 17 2B; 65 RBI.
Bill White (MEM). 296/367/532.

Second Base

This gets difficult. Well, after Chicago’s Eddie Collins, the obvious starter, that is.

The Kansas City Monarch‘s Rogers Hornsby, Baltimore’s Larry Gardner, and Ottawa’s Tim Raines all deserve consideration. Hornsby is the best hitter of the trio, but Raines has probably been the Mounties best player all season, while his offensive numbers are really indistinguishable from Gardner’s (Gardner gets on base more, Raines has 50 SBs already).

Mention should be made of Bobby Grich (Los Angeles) and HR Johnson (Houston), who are making strong offensive contributions from the middle infield. Defensively, Johnson has been the best of this group overall, although the House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has probably been the best defensive second baseman overall.

Eddie Collins (CAG). 309/422/549; 51 R; 34 SB.
Larry Gardner (BAL). 293/405/435.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 277/351/453; 24 2B.
Rogers Hornsby (KAN). 311/390/477; 15 2B.
HR Johnson (HOU). 308/366/425.
Tim Raines (OTT). 301/377/462; 16 2B; 52 R; 50 SB.
Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 274/355/437; 16 2B.

Third Base

Chicago’s Dick Allen has been critiqued throughout the season, but his OPS is virtually identical to Doug Rader‘s, who has received acclaim for his clutch hitting all season. Both make the team, but Rader’s 73 RBI do warrant some attention for sure.

Note that if Detroit’s Bob Bailey had played more in the field, there’d be little discussion here, as he has hit better than either Allen or Rader. He’ll make the team as a DH.

The odd man out is likely Kansas City’s Albert Pujols.

None of these have fielded very well, but the best with the leather–Baltimore’s Harlond Clift–just hasn’t hit a lick.

Dick Allen (CAG). 287/348/555; 52 RBI.
Bob Bailey (DET). 309/394/533.
Harlond Clift (BAL). 202/303/369.
Albert Pujols (KAN). 291/349/486; 17 2B; 51 RBI.
Doug Rader (LAA). 317/372/532; 16 2B; 73 RBI.

Shortstop

While the starter is pretty clear, it gets difficult after that.

Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace has been pounding the ball, and has been the best shortstop of the group all season.

After Wallace, Ottawa’s Freddy Parent has been excellent since being given the starting position, and deserves a spot from his offensive contributions even with a little less playing time than the others.

After Parent, the trio of George Wright (Los Angeles), Ernie Banks (House of David), and Vern Stephens (Memphis) are pretty indistinguishable, and while they have been solid, it’s not clear that any of them are really deserving of being all-stars. That trio is very similar defensively, something neither Wallace nor Parent have shown much skill at.

Ernie Banks (HOD). 265/285/423; 46 RBI.
Freddy Parent (OTT). 278/327/493.
Vern Stephens (MEM). 254/311/388.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 328/423/472; 24 2B; 45 R.
George Wright (LAA). 250/299/426.

Left Fielders

Chicago’s Duffy Lewis will start, as his consistency has nudged him ahead of Baltimore’s Frank Robinson and the House of David’s George Stone. Jimmy Sheckard has been key to the New York Gothams’ attack all season, but may fall just beneath the level of an all star, and a similar argument can be made against Oscar Gamble, despite his 57 RBIs for Detroit.

Oscar Gamble (DET). 260/380/500; 16 HR; 57 RBI; 40 R.
Duffy Lewis (CAG). 306/351/603; 19 HR; 15 2B; 47 RBI.
Frank Robinson (BAL). 302/383/521; 16 HR; 47 RBI; 44 R.
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG). 295/401/475; 16 2B; 50 R; 25 SB.
George Stone (HOD). 298/382/545; 15 HR; 45 R.

Center Fielders

New York’s Willie Mays is the clear starter in center. Not only has he been best with the bat, he also has 13 assists and has been among the better defensive centerfielders.

Reggie Smith of the Memphis Red Sox and Kansas City’s Willie McGee have been solid all season with Smith providing more power and McGee a bit more speed. An argument can be made against McGee as he has played in fewer games, but if Parent makes it at shortstop, you really can’t argue against McGee.

But that leaves the Pete Browning question unanswered. The House of David’s star has played in only 39 games, having been injured for almost half of the season to date. But when he’s played, Browning has hit an MVP level.

Only a late collapse by Houston’s Jimmy Wynn has kept him out of the discussion, but the Toy Cannon has dropped well behind McGee at this point.

Pete Browning (HOD). 359/389/614; 20 SB.
Willie Mays (NYG). 345/401/585; 18 2B; 54 RBI; 53 R.
Willie McGee (KAN). 329/378/486.
Reggie Smith (MEM). 297/366/506; 18 2B; 50 R.
Jim Wynn (HOU). 259/376/438; 50 R; 28 SB.

Right Field

Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Chicago American Giants is in the MVP conversation at this point, and will start in RF. He’s closely trailed by Kansas City’s Stan Musial.

Memphis’ Ted Williams has trailed off significantly over the past few weeks, but he is still in the conversation; as is Detroit’s Ty Cobb.

Ty Cobb (DET). 324/364/534; 18 2B; 42 RBI; 21 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 333/416/602; 16 HR; 20 2B; 53 RBI; 57 R; 21 SB.
Stan Musial (KAN). 336/399/568; 21 2B; 50 RBI; 46 R.
Ted Williams (MEM). 283/374/543; 16 HR; 15 2B; 53 RBI; 47 R.

Starting Pitchers

Two members of Baltimore’s rotation make the team, with Dennis Martínez getting the honor of the start over teammate Ned Garvin due to Garvin only recently being added to the Black Sox rotation. Gerrit Cole may not have the supporting numbers, but an 11-3 record is enough to make the team (no other pitcher in the AL has more than 8 wins).

After those three, it all gets difficult. Andy Pettitte of Kansas City probably has the best argument, but only sports a 5-3 record while Chicago’s Tricky Nichols sits at 8-2, but with worse numbers across the board than Pettitte. A stronger argument could probably be made for a third Black Sox, as Bill Byrd has better numbers than Pettitte, and his 6-2 record matches Garvin’s.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 6-2; 3.09; 1.11 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 11-3; 4.02; 1.33 WHIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 6-2; 2.90; 2 H; 1.04 WHIP.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 8-4; 3.04; 1.19 WHIP.
Tricky Nichols (CAG). 8-2; 3.38; 1.31 WHIP.
Andy Pettitte (KAN). 5-3; 3.12; 1.19 WHIP.

Relief Pitchers

Detroit’s Mike Henneman has been the best closer in the AL, with 15 saves. New York’s Brian Wilson and Memphis’ Joe Beggs have been virtually unhittable, but Beggs just hasn’t put in enough innings to warrant inclusion. Chicago’s AJ Minter has a stronger case, while Los Angeles’ Joe Nathan‘s ERA (over 5.00) keeps him off the roster.

John Hiller (Detroit), Jonny Venters (LA), and Craig Kimbrel are tied for the league lead in Holds with 8 each, but only Kimbrel has better overall numbers.

Mark Melancon (Houston) and Gene Conley (Detroit) are each 7-1 out of their bullpens, while Sean Marshall and Mike Mussina (both with Baltimore) have both been virtually unhittable in a decent number of innings.

Joe Beggs (MEM). 1-0; 9 Sv; 1.06; 1.06 WHIP.
Gene Conley (DET). 7-1; 3.96; 4 H; 1.22 WHIP.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-3; 15 Sv; 3.06; 1.36 WHIP.
John Hiller (DET). 0-1; 1 Sv; 4.66; 8 H; 1.31 WHIP.
Craig Kimbrel (MEM). 2-2; 3.34; 8 H; 1.21 WHIP.
Sean Marshall (BAL). 3-0; 2.10; 4 H; 1.03 WHIP.
Mark Melancon (HOU). 7-1; 1 Sv; 3.20; 7 H; 1.42 WHIP.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0; 11 Sv; 2.35; 0.98 WHIP.
Mike Mussina (BAL). 2-0; 1 Sv; 2.20; 1 H; 0.94 WHIP.
Joe Nathan (LAA). 3-4; 10 Sv; 1 H; 5.23; 1.35 WHIP.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 2-2; 3 Sv; 4.30; 1.43 WHIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0; 10 Sv; 1.77; 0.89 WHIP.

Selections by Team

Listed alphabetically, Italic indicates a starter.

Baltimore Black Sox: Bill Byrd (P); Curt Blefary (C); Ned Garvin (P); Sean Marshall (P); Dennis Martínez (P); Dan McGann (1B); Bobby Wallace (SS)
Chicago American Giants: Dick Allen (3B); Eddie Collins (2B); Joe Jackson (RF); Duffy Lewis (LF); AJ Minter (P); Tricky Nichols (P); Frank Thomas (DH)
Detroit Wolverines: Bob Bailey (DH); Hank Greenberg (1B); Mike Henneman (P).
Houston Colt 45’s: Mark Melancon (P)
Kansas City Monarchs: Rogers Hornsby (2B); Stan Musial (RF); Andy Pettitte (P)
Los Angeles Angels: Gerrit Cole (P); Doug Rader (3B)
Memphis Red Sox: Craig Kimbrel (P); Reggie Smith (CF); Ted Williams (RF)
New York Gothams: Willie Mays (CF); Buster Posey (C); Brian Wilson (P)
Ottawa Mounties: Freddy Parent (SS)
Wandering House of David: Elrod Hendricks (C); George Stone (LF)

TWIWBL 20.0: Series XVII Notes

By mknn

On January 4, 2022

In TWIWBL

June 12

Awards

C Elrod Hendricks of the House of David hit .545 (12 for 22) with 4 homeruns to earn the WBL Player of the Week Award.

Performance

At the end of Series XVII, This Week in Whirled Baseball 19.0 took a look at the best young performers in the WBL. This time, we’ll look at the over 30 players making a difference.

30 year old Albert Belle of the New York Black Yankees has probably been the best of them, slashing 312/377/551, but he just misses out on the qualification requirements for batters. So we turn instead to 31 year old Jake Stahl of the Cleveland Spiders, who leads the pack with an OPS of just under .900. Portland‘s Gil Hodges (30) has 16 homeruns and Oscar Gamble of the Detroit Wolverines leads with 52 RBIs.

Here’s what the old guys team might look like:

C: Jim Pagliaroni (31, Memphis Red Sox). 272/366/447.
1B: Jake Stahl (31, Cleveland). 277/336/559.
2B: Rogers Hornsby (33, Kansas City Monarchs). 300/384/469.
SS: Bobby Wallace (33, Baltimore Black Sox). 314/410/455.
3B: Jimmy Collins (34, Detroit). 232/280/382.
LF: Oscar Gamble (31, Detroit). 267/383/504.
CF: Don Buford (31, Los Angeles Angels). 296/389/428.
RF: Gavvy Cravath (35, Philadelphia Stars). 322/360/507.
DH: Carlos Delgado (30, Ottawa Mounties). 282/401/482.

Honorable mention to 36 year old Dan McGann of Baltimore, slashing along at 307/407/483. McGann joins Cravath and his Philadelphia teammate Rico Carty (36, 296/360/483) and Detroit’s Tony Phillips (38, 238/374/389) in the over-35 club, holding down a contributing role.

If you’re paying close attention, you’ll see that Detroit has three players mentioned so far: the Wolverines may be in win-now mode as the trading deadline approaches.

On the mound, the New York Gotham‘s Juan Marichal (32, 7-2, 4.55) and the Black Yankees’ Jack Scott (33, 7-3, 3.50) lead the way, although a special tip of the hat goes to 30 year old Mark Melancon, who is 7-1 out of the bullpen for the Houston Colt 45‘s. But the best of them all has probably been Kansas City’s Andy Pettitte, who sports a 3.12 ERA to go along with a less sparkling 5-3 record.

Leading Performers

The top 2 (ish) performers in each category are included, league leaders in bold.

Best Batters

A few things to note. First, the Chicago American Giants big three–Dick Allen, Joe Jackson, and Frank Thomas–is very impressive; second, Reggie Jackson of the San Francisco Sea Lions now leads in all three slash categories; and third, Babe Ruth is in a bit of a slump (I mean all things are relative), and while he is still listed in 5 categories, he only leads in 2 (homeruns and runs scored).

Dick Allen (Chicago). 298/357/579; 8 3B.
Rico Carty (Philadelphia). 296/360/483; 24 2B.
Mike Epstein (Homestead). 338/443/532.
Bobby Grich (Los Angeles). 293/369/479; 24 2B.
Rickey Henderson (San Francisco). 263/407/357; 55 BB; 50 SB.
Kent Hrbek (Portland). 317/388/623; 22 HR.
Joe Jackson (Chicago). 350/434/634; 56 R.
Reggie Jackson (San Francisco). 371/470/668.
Willie Mays (Gothams). 355/412/595; 93 H; 3.9 WAR.
Doug Rader (Los Angeles). 308/367/502; 66 RBI.
Tim Raines (Ottawa). 300/376/466; 48 SB.
Babe Ruth (Black Yankees). 313/422/663; 23 HR; 65 RBI; 56 R; 48 BB; 3.8 WAR.
Louis Santop (Cleveland). 303/337/461; 8 3B.
Frank Thomas (Chicago). 355/439/605; 91 H.

Best Starting Pitchers

Baltimore’s Ned Garvin continues to make a strong argument to be the best starting pitcher in the league.

Bill Byrd (Baltimore). 5-2; 3.09 ERA; 1.11 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (Los Angeles). 10-3; 4.20 ERA.
Ned Garvin (Baltimore). 5-2; 2.78 ERA; 2 H; 0.98 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (San Francisco). 8-2; 3.49 ERA; 100 Ks.
Ron Guidry (Black Yankees). 5-5; 3.90 ERA ; 105 Ks.
Walter Johnson (Portland). 7-3; 3.88 ERA; 2.8 WAR.
Johnny Marcum (Detroit). 6-2; 2.92 ERA; 1 H.
Red Ruffing (Black Yankees). 9-1; 3.62 ERA.
Cy Young (Cleveland). 6-2; 3.40 ERA; 2.6 WAR.

Best Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats.

Terry Adams (Cleveland). 0-3; 2.91 ERA ; 17 Sv.
Elmer Brown (Portland). 2-4; 2.37 ERA ; 3 Sv; 9 H.
Turk Farrell (Memphis). 0-2; 2.95 ERA ; 1 Sv; 2 H; 28 G.
Bob Howry (Philadelphia). 1-3; 5.01 ERA; 16 Sv; 1.03 WHIP.
Ken Howell (San Francisco). 3-2; 1.20 ERA; 3 Sv; 3 H; 0.90 WHIP.
Mark Melancon (Houston). 7-1; 3.00 ERA ; 1 Sv; 5 H.
Willie Mitchell (Indianapolis). 2-2; 1.19 ERA; 1 H.
Ron Reed (Philadelphia). 0-2; 2.87 ERA ; 3 Sv; 12 H; 35 G.
Ron Robinson (San Francisco). 4-1; 3.45 ERA ; 9 H.
Johan Santana (Portland). 1-1; 2.79 ERA ; 22 Sv.

Streaks

The unstoppable force that is Thurman Munson just keeps on going: the Black Yankees’ backstop has now reached base in 39 consecutive games. The Gothams’ Willie Mays has reached base in 29 straight.

Brooklyn‘s Duke Snider and Chicago’s Joe Jackson are edging up the list of hitting streaks, with active 17 and 16 game runs, respectively (Jackson is slashing 438/486/828 over his last 15 games, easily the most extended hot streak in the league). Two slightly more oddball streaks: Homestead’s Mike Epstein has reached base in 8 consecutive plate appearances and Philadelphia’s George Hendrick has 4 consecutive pinch-hits.

On the mound, the Black Yankee’s Red Ruffing hasn’t allowed a run in 20 innings, setting a new league record and Chicago’s AJ Minter has now gone 16 straight appearances without allowing a run, extending his league record.

Two of the longest exercises in patience may be running out. Baltimore’s Paul Blair resurgence was clearly a mirage, and the center fielders has managed only 7 hits in his last 43 at-bats. The House of David’s Mark McGwire draws his share of walks, but little else, managing only 7 hits in his last 80 at-bats for a 087/253/125 slash line over that time.

Series XVII Results

Series XVII Sweeps

Chicago over Kansas City

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XVII

Brooklyn over Portland
Cleveland over Philadelphia
Gothams over Homestead
San Francisco over Los Angeles
Black Yankees over Memphis

Series XVII Splits

Baltimore @ Ottawa
Birmingham Black Barons @ Houston
Indianapolis @ Detroit
Miami Cuban Giants @ House of David

TWIWBL 19.0: Series XVI Notes

By mknn

On November 23, 2021

In TWIWBL

June 8th

Awards

Robinson Canó of the Kansas City Monarchs won the WBL Player of the Week. It’s unusual to win the award with only 7 at-bats over the week … but Canó went 6-for-7 with 3 homeruns and 6 RBIs to take the honor.

Performance

Let’s do a look at the youngest players in the WBL before the usual lists.

Only one true teenager has enough plate appearances to make the leaderboards, and that is Bryce Harper of the Baltimore Black Sox. Harper, 19, who struggled for the opening month or so, has begun to come around, now sporting an OPS just over .700.

But four players under 21 years of age are sporting OPS’ over .900, led by the Monarchs’ Stan Musial (21, 343/406/593) and the Memphis Red Sox‘s Ted Williams (20, 293/380/573).

You could actually put together a great hitting team from the qualifying youngsters, although you would need to juggle some positions:

C: Josh Gibson, 20, Homestead Grays.
1B: Frank Robinson, 20, Baltimore.
2B: Tim Raines, 21, Ottawa Mounties.
SS: Carlos Correa, 21, Houston Colt 45s.
3B: Albert Pujols, 21, Kansas City.
LF: Stan Musial, 21, Kansas City.
CF: Mickey Mantle, 20, New York Black Yankees.
RF: Ty Cobb, 20, Detroit Wolverines.
DH: Ted Williams, 20, Memphis.

On the mound, the true teenage starting pitchers are the Portland Sea Dogs‘ Walter Johnson, who is among the best in the business, and the Cleveland Spider‘s Bob Feller, who has certainly shown some flashes. Johnson (7-2, 3.61) and the Brooklyn Royal Giants‘ Don Drysedale (20, 4-3, 3.32) would lead the staff.

Two 18 year-olds are more than holding their own, albeit in limited action: Portland’s Joseito Muñoz has been essentially unhittable, posting a 0.70 ERA in 26 innings and Houston’s Leon Day has a 2.57 ERA in 10 games.

Leading Performers

The top 2 (ish) performers in each category are included, league leaders in bold.

Best Batters

It’s a wide ranging list, with–still–only Babe Ruth really appearing across the board.

Rico Carty, Philadelphia Stars. 312/378/500; 24 2B.
Eric Davis, Black Yankees. 278/330/532; 19 HR.
Bobby Grich, Los Angeles Angels. 294/366/481, 23 2B.
Rickey Henderson, San Francisco Sea Lions. 271/411/369; 51 BB; 48 SB.
Joe Jackson, Chicago American Giants. 350/437/637; 54 R.
Reggie Jackson, San Francisco. 375/475/661.
Duffy Lewis, Chicago. 318/358/632. 19 HR.
Willie Mays, New York Gothams. 350/406/577; 86 H.
Stan Musial, Kansas City. 343/406/593; 85 H.
Doug Rader, Los Angeles. 310/370/506; 60 RBI.
Babe Ruth, Black Yankees. 316/427/684; 3.8 WAR; 23 HR; 64 RBI; 55 R; 47 BB.
Louis Santop, Cleveland. 309/341/474; 8 3B.
Frank Thomas, Chicago. 356/440/590.

Best Starting Pitchers

We’re beginning to see some volume, with Cleveland’s Cy Young being the first hurler to top 100 innings and the Black Yankees’ Ron Guidry over 100 strikeouts.

Bill Byrd, Baltimore. 5-2; 3.14 ERA.
Gerrit Cole, Los Angeles. 10-3; 4.20 ERA.
Lefty Grove, San Francisco. 7-2; 3.31 ERA; 89 Ks.
Ron Guidry, Black Yankees. 5-5; 3.90 ERA; 105 Ks.
Roy Halladay, Ottawa. 3-5; 3.75 ERA; 1.12 WHIP.
Walter Jonson, Portland. 7-2; 3.61 ERA; 2.9 WAR.
Dennis Martínez, Baltimore. 8-2; 3.07 ERA.
Andy Pettitte, Kansas City. 5-3; 3.12 ERA.
Red Ruffing, Black Yankees. 8-1; 3.81 ERA.
Cy Young, Cleveland. 6-2; 3.40 ERA; 1.15 ERA; 2.6 WAR.

Best Relievers

20 IP minimum for the rate stats. Notice that the list is dominated by bullpens (San Francisco, Portland, Philadelphia), not individuals.

Rod Beck, San Francisco. 0-1; 1.69 ERA; 16 Sv.
Elmer Brown, Portland. 2-3; 2.28 ERA; 3 Sv; 9 H.
Ken Howell, San Francisco. 3-2; 1.32 ERA; 0.91 WHIP; 3 Sv; 3 H.
Bob Howry, Philadelphia. 1-2; 4.15 ERA; 16 Sv.
Mark Melancon, Houston. 6-1; 2.86 ERA; 1 Sv; 5 H.
Joseito Muñoz, Portland. 2-1; 0.70 ERA; 3 Sv; 2 H.
Ron Reed, Philadelphia. 0-2; 2.83 ERA; 3 Sv; 11 H.
Ron Robinson, San Francisco. 3-1; 2.30 ERA; 9 H.
Johan Santana, Portland. 1-1; 2.95 ERA; 21 Sv.
Doc White, Indianapolis ABCs. 2-1; 2.35 ERA; 0.83 WHIP; 1 Sv; 2 H.

Streaks

We’re getting to the point where active streaks are more and more rare because, math.

Some exceptions, though: in one of the more surprising developments, the Black Yankees’ Thurman Munson has reached base in 36 straight games. The Gothams’ Willie Mays has an active streak of 25 games.

Baltimore’s Elrod Hendricks has gotten a hit in 8 consecutive at-bats, the longest streak in the league so far.

Cy Young deserves some attention: 6 consecutive wins, and undefeated over his last 11 starts. After a rocky start to the season, Chicago’s AJ Minter hasn’t been scored on in his last 15 outings.

Minter’s teammate Joe Jackson is on a tear, hitting 462/509/885 over his last 12 games. At the other end, Houston’s Jimmy Wynn is hitless in his last 25 at-bats, managing only 2 walks in that time to see his overall numbers plummet.

Series XVI Results

Series XVI Sweeps

Birmingham over Miami Cuban Giants

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XVI

Brooklyn over Black Yankees
Chicago over Homestead
Indianapolis over Houston
Portland over Kansas City
Gothams over Ottawa

Series XVI Splits

Wandering House of David @ Baltimore
Detroit @ Cleveland
Philadelphia @ Los Angeles
San Francisco @ Memphis

Series XVI Featured Matchup: Wandering House of David @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On November 19, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Jack Taylor @ Dennis Martinez

Pete Browning‘s return from the DL began with a single to left off Dennis Martinez in the first inning, sending George Stone to second base. But Martinez was able to get out of the inning without giving up a run.

The Black Sox took the lead in the bottom of the 3rd on a 3-run shot by Frank Robinson.

An RBI single by Stone got one back for the House of David in the top of the 4th.

In the top of the 5th, with Martinez struggling, Baby Doll Jacobson made a mark on his WBL debut by throwing out Elrod Hendricks at home. Martinez would give up only the 1 run in his 5 innings, despite surrendering 8 hits.

And that was it: Bob Welch, Sean Marshall, and Gregg Olson shut down the House of David the rest of the way, and the Black Sox took the opening game of the series.

HOD 1 (Taylor 4-6) @ BAL 3 (Martinez 8-2; Olson 1 Sv; Welch 1 H; Marshall 4 H)
HRs: BAL – Robinson (15)
Box Score

#Game 2: Wade Miley @ Jim Palmer

Elrod Hendricks took Jim Palmer deep in the top of the first, giving the House of David a 3-0 lead. Dan McGann got one back for Baltimore, taking Wade Miley down the left field line for his 9th homerun of the season.

The long balls kept coming: George Stone hit a solo shot in the top of the 2nd and Baby Doll Jacobson, making his first start after his recent recall from AAA, launched a 2 run shot in the bottom of the frame for his first WBL hit.

Dan Ford–who has cemented himself as the House of David’s regular RFer–went deep in the top of the 5th, making the score 5-3.

Miley couldn’t complete the 5th, leaving after back-to-back 2-out walks in favor of Dick Tidrow, who fanned Frank Robinson to preserve the lead and strand the two baserunners. Palmer lasted a little longer, surrendering to Mike Mussina when he gave up a walk to open the 6th inning.

Mussina finally ran out of gas in the top of the 9th, giving up hits to Ryne Sandberg and Mark McGwire before giving way to Buddy Groom, who allowed an RBI single to pinch-hitter Ron Santo. Groom struck out Stone, but the ball got away from Curt Blefary, and his throw to first sailed into the outfield, scoring another run.

That made it 7-3, House of David, heading to the bottom of the 9th. Larry Gardner led off with a single, but Rollie Fingers induced a double play from Bobby Wallace. A single from McGann chased Fingers, bringing in Bruce Sutter to face Robinson, who singled. Sutter got Ken Singleton to ground out to end the game, evening the series at a game apiece.

HOD 7 (Tidrow 3-4; Smith 1 H; Fingers 3 H) @ BAL 3 (Palmer 4-6)
HRs: HoD – Hendricks (12), Stone (13), Ford (3); BAL – McGann (9), Jacobson (1)
Box Score

#Game 3: Frank Sullivan @ Bill Byrd

Baltimore would turn to Bill Byrd to try to change their fortunes in game three.

Byrd would give up a leadoff triple to George Stone, who scored on a groundout from Dan Ford. Baltimore would get the first singles from their first two batters, but were unable to score, and we ended the first inning with the House of David ahead, 1-0.

Byrd would give up a solo shot to Elrod Hendricks in the top of the 4th, doubling the lead to 2-0 in favor of the House of David.

Frank Sullivan was sailing along until the bottom of the 5th, when Bryce Harper led off with a walk and Cal Ripkin, Jr. followed with a double to straight away CF. Paul Blair brought home Harper with a sacrifice fly, but that was all Baltimore could manage, and the 5th inning ended with the score 2-1.

Harper tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th.

Baltimore’s Sean Marshall worked in and out of trouble in the top of the 8th, putting two runners on base, but inducing a double-play and a soft popout to maintain the tie.

A scoreless ninth ensued, and we were heading to extra innings.

Ryne Sandberg triple with one out in the top of the 10th, and scored on a single by Richie Hebner. Stone would follow with his 2nd three-bagger of the day, scoring Hebner and making it 4-2 in favor of the House of David.

Bruce Sutter gave up a walk, but worked around it to seal the victory, putting the House of David up, two games to one.

Hendricks ended the day with four hits.

HOD 4 (Sutter 2-0) @ BAL 2 (Bessent 1-3) [10 Innings]
HRs: HOD – Hendricks (13)
Box Score

#Game 4: @ Johnny Sain @ CC Sabathia

Two of the coldest arms in the WBL face-off in game four. Baltimore’s Johnny Sain sits at 5-4 with an ERA well over 5.00 while the House of David’s CC Sabathia is 5-5 with an ERA about a run lower. But neither have thrown well in a while.

The House of David’s best hitters generated their first run: Pete Browning singled, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Elrod Hendricks.

The Black Sox tied the game in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Frank Robinson, and took the lead when Richie Hebner made a throw that sailed over Mark Grace‘s head at first. Bryce Harper followed with a double into the right field corner, and when Sabathia finally got out of the inning, Baltimore was in front, 5-1.

Hendricks drove in Dan Ford with a single in the top of the third, but a great throw from Paul Blair nailed Browning at home to limit the damage.

Ramon Hernandez made it 7-2 with a homerun in the bottom of the frame.

Browning’s third hit of the game was a long shot to left-center, making the score 7-3 and generating activity in the Black Sox bullpen.

Both bullpens actually did well, and the game was scoreless across the final four frames. Hendricks ended with 4 hits for the House of David, while Harper had 3 for Baltimore.

HOD 3 (Sabathia 5-6) @ BAL 7 (Sain 6-4)
HRs: HOD – Browning (6); BAL – Hernandez (2)
Box Score

Series Overview

So, a split, a result that will disappoint Baltimore, and give the House of David some hope.

For the House of David, Elrod Hendricks was on fire, going 11-for-15 in the four games with 2 homeruns and 6 RBIs. The problem was nobody else did much of note.

The hitting star for Baltimore was Bryce Harper, who went 7-for-13, raising his average nearly 20 points. Again, though, it was pretty much a one man show.

Series XVI Preview: Wandering House of David @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On November 16, 2021

In Featured Series

It’s been a long time since we checked in on the House of David, who were featured way back in Series V when they visited Los Angeles. The Baltimore Black Sox–currently tied for the best record in baseball–were featured in Series IX.

Wandering House of David

The House of David are struggling towards .500, sitting 6 games below that mark, and 5 games behind Detroit in the Bill James Division. Honestly, even that may be outperforming their metrics (they are, in fact, 2 games above their Pythagorean projection at this point).

The pitching has been an issue all season. C.C. Sabathia started the year quite well, and if the House of David have an ace, he’s it. But he’s only 5-5 on the year, with a 4.29 ERA (his WHIP of 1.33 is more respectable), and some would look at Jack Taylor (4-5, 3.57 ERA) as having been more dependable. Probably their best pitcher has been Bob Rush, who sparkled out of the pen, and has just recently moved into the rotation. Rush is 4-3, with a 3.07 ERA, and both he and Taylor have identical 1.18 WHIPs.

The bullpen has been fairly mediocre: Joakim Soria started the year as the closer, lost that role to Bruce Sutter, and was just released. Sutter has been fine, and recently promoted Lee Smith has some potential, but neither he nor Rollie Fingers seem terribly reliable at the moment.

The House of David’s best offensive player has, hands down, been Pete Browning, who is slashing 385/419/606, The problem is Browning has only been healthy for about 28 games. He’s back now, and hopefully can spark a struggling offense.

The bright spots of the offense are clear: OF George Stone (318/407/552 and a team-high 12 homeruns), C Elrod Hendricks (291/344/581), and–in one of the shocks of the league–OF Dan Ford (375/396/557 in about half their games) have led the team along with SS Ernie Banks who tops the team with 44 RBIs. And … that’s about it. Ron Santo and Mark Grace have been fine, and Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire have been miserable (Sosa was just sent to AAA to work it out).

Optimism for the House of David centers around Browning’s health and Ford not collapsing. We’ll see.

Baltimore Black Sox

The Black Sox have ridden strong starting pitching and a solid offense to the best record in the league, even after a shocking series against Birmingham, where they lost 3-out-of-4. They’ll be looking to right the ship immediately, with their ace, Dennis Martinez taking the mound for the first game. Martinez is 7-2 with a 3.15 ERA, but calling him their ace may be a little misleading: Bill Byrd has essentially the same ERA at 3.16 and Ned Garvin may be the best pitcher in the league at the moment, with an ERA well under 3.00.

Don Bessent and Bob Miller have combined for 11 saves, with neither actually being declared the official closer, and Sean Marshall and Buddy Groom continue to pitch really well out of the pen.

Offensively, Curt Blefary has slowed down slightly, but is still mashing the ball at a 289/392/639 clip to lead the way, and he and Frank Robinson (313/394/537) are among the better duos in the league. Three regulars–SS Bobby Wallace, 1B Dan McGann, and 2B Larry Gardner have OBPs over .400, ensuring plenty of traffic on the basepaths, and the Black Sox’ patience with Bryce Harper has really paid off as, after a month of struggle, the young outfielder is starting to contribute more and more offensively.

Recently recalled Baby Doll Jacobsen was perhaps the most dominant hitter in AAA, so the club is eager to see if he can contribute.

Starting Pitchers

House of David starter listed first.

Wade Miley (2-2, 6.12 ERA) @ Dennis Martinez (7-2, 3.15 ERA)
Jack Taylor (4-5, 3.57 ERA) @ Jim Palmer (4-5, 4.85 ERA)
Frank Sullivan (4-6, 4.90 ERA) @ Bill Byrd (5-2, 3.16 ERA)
CC Sabathia (5-5, 4.29 ERA) @ Johnny Sain (5-4, 5.42 ERA)

Series Prediction

I mean … Baltimore is clearly the superior team. And they’ll be looking to bounce back after a disappointing series with Birmingham. I think they will, and the House of David will only win one game, either for Taylor or Sabathia.

TWIWBL 18.2: Series XV Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On November 8, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Bill Byrd allowed 3 hits (2 by Tom Herr, who continues to impress) in a complete-game shutout of Birmingham. The 7-0 win moved Byrd to 5-2 and lowered his ERA to a sparkling 3.16. Curt Blefary, Larry Gardner, and Dan McGann had 2 hits each in support of Byrd, with McGann and Bryce Harper driving in 2 each.

The Black Sox finally ran out of patience with Miller Huggins, sending the struggling 2B to AAA in favor of OF Baby Doll Jacobson, who had been absolutely demolishing minor league pitching.

#Chicago American Giants

Shoeless Joe Jackson took Jimmy Key‘s first ever pitch in the WBL out of the ballpark for the first of his 2 homeruns on the day, setting the tone for a blowout victory for the American Giants over Ottawa. Damian Jackson–who started the day hitting .165–went 4-for-5 and six–yes, six–Chicago batters had 3 hits (Shoeless Joe, Frank Thomas, Eddie Collins, Duffy Lewis, Dick Allen, and Carlton Fisk). Thomas drove in 4, and Tricky Nichols improved to 6-2 with 7 solid innings on the mound.

Not all news was good for Chicago, as Cristobal Torriente had to leave the game with a leg injury that landed him on the DL. Rocky Colavito was recalled from AAA in his place.

As the American Giants try to solve their bullpen, Frank Smith was returned to AAA, with Joe Lake coming up to Chicago to compete with Joe Horlen for the final rotation spot. Despite his good day detailed above, The Damian Jackson experiment is clearly on its way out. While Jackson stays with the big league club–someone has to play 2B when Collins is out–Jack Doyle, way down in AA, provides the same defensive flexibility, and cannot hit any worse. Avisail Garcia was also sent down, with Magglio Ordonez coming up to the big leagues. Jim Davenport and Nellie Fox were both released to make room on the 40-man roster.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Mark Melancon picked up his 5th victory from the bullpen when Lance Berkman won the ballgame with a walk-off homerun against Cleveland. Jorge Posada also went deep and Jeff Bagwell and HR Johnson added 2 hits in the 4-3 victory.

Melancon did it again, moving to 6-1 when Jim O’Rourke provided a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 10th. Felipe Alou–perhaps playing to remain in the league–had 3 hits and 2 RBIs and Melancon, Dock Ellis, and Trevor Hoffman combined for 3.2 innings of 2-hit, shutout relief of an effective Stephen Strasbourg.

#Ottawa Mounties

Just another day for Tim Raines: 2 hits, 3 runs scored, 3 stolen bases to lead Ottawa to a 7-2 win over Chicago. Freddy Parent added his 9th homerun of the year and Jim Clancy pitched well, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs in just over 5 innings, moving to 3-2 on the season.

Jimmy Key was waived and Clark Griffiths returned to AAA to make room for Ted Bowsfield and Steve Howe‘s return from injury. More dramatically, the Mounties sent down Steve Garvey, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Alex Rodriguez to AAA in an effort to jump start their offense. Rick Monday, Larry Parrish, and–surprisingly, all the way from AA–Harry Easterday were recalled, with Felix Hernandez being waived. The end result of all this is that Jackie Jensen and Roy Sievers will get a lot of at-bats for a while.