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TWIWBL 92.2: Off Season Review – Philadelphia Stars

By

On April 22, 2026

In TWIWBL

87 - 75, .537 pct.
2nd in Effa Manley Division, 12 GB
Lost in NL WC to HOU, 4-1

Overall

What a surprising year in Philadelphia!

This is what decent pitching, solid defense, and some high end lineup slots can do for a club. Drafting the unique talents of Charles Rogan helped, too.

It’s built around Rogan, Scott Rolen, and the radical power of Aaron Judge on offense and Rogan, Hardie Henderson, and Steve Carlton on the mound.

It’s a blueprint, and there is reason for optimism that the Stars could repeat the formula next year.

The optimism comes from the fact that some Stars still have room to grow, especially when you look at how JM Ward and Ray Collins both were far, far better than their results on the mound and the looming presence of Harmon Killebrew at AAA.

The skepticism comes from Ward and Collins being unproven, from the struggles on the IF, and from the age of the squad, especially Rico Carty (who had a solid year) and Ted Kluszewski (who did not).

What Went Right

We’ve got to start with Charles “Bullet Joe” Rogan, a legitimate all-star level talent both on the mound and all over the field (Rogan played a lot of CF, but that had more to do with Willie Davis‘ struggles than anything else). Rogan slashed 308/362/620 in 520 PAs and went 12-9 with a 4.51 ERA on the mound over 30 starts. Just an amazing talent.

Aaron Judge exploded this year, with 63 homeruns and 133 RBIs, making the RF job his from here on out.

Scott Rolen continues to be one of the better 3B in the league, posting a .917 OPS and finishing second on the team with 42 homeruns.

At 38, Rico Carty continues to contribute offensively. He’s slowed down, and the power continues to dwindle, but a mid .800s OPS is serviceable in a reserve player.

Bill Dickey finally seemed to claim the C spot, posting an .827 OPS in 50ish games behind the plate. Hopes are high for his first full season.

At 21, there is time for Sherry Magee to continue to develop, for now, an .800 OPS plus 47 steals is a solid base to build on.

Chase Utley was … good enough … at 2B, flashing elite leather and providing OK offense.

ALL STARS

Hardie Henderson
Aaron Judge
Charles Rogan
MAJOR AWARDS

Willie Davis, NL CF Gold Glove
Aaron Judge, All NL Team; NL RF Silver Slugger
Charles Rogan, NL Rookie of the Year
Chase Utley, NL 2B Gold Glove
RECOGNITIONS

Fred Cambria, All NL 3rd Team; NL 25 & Under Team; NL 23 & Under Team
Bill Dickey, NL All Rookie Team
Hardie Henderson, All NL 3rd Team
César Hernández, NL All Rookie Team
Bob Howry, All NL 3rd Team; NL Over 30 Team
Ted Kennedy, NL 23 & Under Team
Brad Kilby, NL All Rookie 2nd Team
Sherry Magee, NL 21 & Under Team
Charles Rogan, All NL 3rd Team; NL All Rookie 2nd Team (CF & P)
Scott Rolen, All NL 3rd Team
Jimmy Rollins, NL All Rookie 2nd Team
JM Ward, 21 & Under Team
ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Charles Rogan, MVP
Hardie Henderson, Pitcher of the Year
Scott Rolen, Heart & Soul
Charles Rogan, Fan Favorite

Jack Kralick, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Jung Ho Kang, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Catching was a mess until Dickey was recalled–both Sherm Lollar and Mike Scioscia are fine as reserves, but seem overmatched as starters.

The middle infield was a mess all year. César Hernández looked like a solution, but faltered; and Jimmy Rollins was pretty miserable at SS. Eventually, Chase Utley took over, but SS remained a challenge all season.

Ted Kluszewski‘s bat seems to have slowed way down, managing only a 245/289/436 slash line.

Willie Davis earned the Gold Glove in CF, but struggled mightily at the plate, managing only a 233/282/391 slash line. Gold Glove defense can’t make up for that level of offensive performance.

There was a lot of mediocrity, but little that went downright wrong, on the mound. John Burkett and Bill Gatewood struggled in limited innings, but that’s about it. Mark Melancon‘s overall numbers are bad, but he performed quite well with the Stars.

Transactions

March

None.

July

P Larry Jackson to HOD for IF Luis Aparicio, IF Jung Ho Kang & 7th Round Pick.

It’s decent value, but at the same time, another SP would have been useful. Still, Aparicio may have a shot at the SS job and Kang hit very well (he may end up being the epitome of a AAAA player, but he may not).

August

P LaTroy Hawkins, P Dave Stieb, IF Pat Meares, P Jaret Wright, OF Bobby Abreu & 2nd Round Pick to POR for IF Rafael Palmiero, P Mark Melancon, IF Jim Fregosi, & OF Harry Hooper.

This was really 2 deals–the Abreu and Palmiero component is, or should be, pretty much a wash. The rest is interesting: Melancon was bad in Portland and excellent in Philadelphia, Hooper was horrible in Portland and worse in Philadelphia, and Fregosi might–might–solve the Stars’ SS challenge for a few years. They gave up a lot of talent but it’s all potential: if Stieb, Hawkins, and Wright all become rotation starters, it’s too much; if not, it’s a good trade.

OF George Hendrick to BRK for 3rd Round Pick.

Sure. Why not.

Positional Overview

C

Bill Dickey seems to finally be delivering on the promise that led to last year’s trade with the Black Yankees. With him set as the starter, Mike Scioscia is the most likely candidate for the backup role.

There’s not a lot of talent behind him, but perhaps Butch Wynegar or Jerry Grote may have WBL talent.

1B

This is a little uncertain, but the Stars would very much like Harmon Killebrew or Rafael Palmeiro to lay their claim in Spring Training.

Rogan can play here, of course, and both Rico Carty and Ted Kluszewski can be of use here as well.

2B

It feels like Chase Utley did enough to retain his starting spot here, especially considering the Gold Glove. César Hernández will start the season as the utility infielder, but may step in if Utley falters.

There are a couple other interesting options: Jung Ho Kang plays 2B badly, but it is a way to get his bat in the lineup, and both Luis Aparicio and Roger Peckinpaugh can fill in here as well.

SS

This is Jim Fregosi‘s job given his arrival via trade.

There were high hopes for Jimmy Rollins, but it feels like both he and Peckinpaugh have been supplanted by Aparicio in the pecking order. Much is open to be determined this Spring.

3B

No questions here: Scott Rolen all day.

Killebrew and Kang will hopefully do enough to serve as regular relief. Rogan can play here as well, as can JM Ward, although his attempts at contributing offensively have fallen short so far.

LF/RF

RF is set with Aaron Judge, and LF looks more and more like Sherry Magee, at least for now.

There’s some talent in the minors: Buck Freeman, Ed Kirkpatrick, and even the hope that Harry Hooper someday regains his form.

CF

This is a pretty puzzling situation. Willie Davis hit well last year, but collapsed offensively this year. Still, he did win the Gold Glove out there.

This might be Rogan’s most natural position, and of course he had no problem hitting.

And then there’s the upcoming talent, led by Richie Ashburn, but also including Garry Maddox, Elston Howard, and Odúbel Herrera.

DH

The Stars really hope that Killebrew or Kang show up in the Spring. If that doesn’t happen, look for Rico Carty to get the bulk of the appearances.

SP

Hardie Henderson, Charles Rogan, Steve Carlton, and JM Ward are a good quartet for the front of the rotation.

The final spot is open, as are the swing starter positions, with the competition being between Ray Collins, Ted Kennedy (transitioning from the bullpen), Robin Roberts, John Clarkson, Don Newcombe, Bill Gatewood, and perhaps young prospect Pete Alexander.

Mélido Pérez looks like a good future prospect, as does Bill Stearns.

RP

Bob Howry will start as the closer, but at 34 there are some questions about his future. Behind him, though, there are a lot of odd questions: can Mark Melancon finally settled into a franchise (he performed quite well for the Stars at the end of the season)? Can Brad Kilby and Fred Cambria improve on relatively impressive initial seasons? And does Pedro Feliciano belong in the WBL at all?

That’s the group likely to start the year, but we’ll see how that goes.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 0
3rd Round: 2
4th Round: 1
5th Round: 1

The Stars could make a move for a 2B, or even a CF. But really their future is wrapped up in the continued development of their current talent.

TWIWBL 82.5: Effa Manley Division

By

On December 16, 2025

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Brooklyn Royal Giants91-58.611—
Philadelphia Stars76-73.51015
Homestead Grays71-78.47720
New York Gothams71-79.47320.5
Ottawa Mounties69-80.46322
Effa Manley Division | 17 September

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Dickie Thon was recalled from a rehab assignment, along with Dick Redding, Eric Karros, and Raúl Mondesi. With Brooklyn having clinched the pennant, look for Karros and Jim Gentile to platoon at 1B, and for Redding to get a few starts in the final 2 weeks of the season.

Redding pitched well in his first start, but wasn’t around for the decision in a 5-4, 12 inning win over Kansas City. Ron Cey went deep twice, as the victory went to Trevor Hildenberger, who improved to 6-2 on the year.

With Dan Brouthers‘ return from injury, Karros was returned to the minors.

John Briggs hit 2 out, giving him 30 on the year, as the Royal Giants beat the Gothams, 7-6 in 10 innings.

#Homestead Grays

David Price will miss most of the reset of the season with young Tim Lincecum being recalled for a few more WBL innings.

#New York Gothams

Despite a decent showing in his last outing, the Gothams sent Guy Hecker down to take a look at young Masahiro Tanaka, who impressed all season at AA.

While Christy Mathewson and Gaylord Perry may each get a start or 2 as the year winds down, the Gothams are looking at the last 2 weeks as a time to audition arms for next year. With that in mind, OFs George Van Haltren and Ben Oglivie were traded out for Wally Berger and Fred Lewis.

Benny Kauff hit 2 out and Tanaka had a solid debut as the Gothams edged Homestead, 8-7.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clark Griffith was sent back to the minors, allowing the Mounties to take a look at Billy Koch, who has a chance at a bullpen role next year.

Larry Walker‘s magnificent season may be over, as the OF/1B with a near 1.000 OPS heads to the DL. Mike Sharperson was recalled from AAA for the final 10 days of the season.

Max Scherzer strained a hamstring, landing the young right-hander on the 60 Day DL. Chris Bosio was recalled for the final week.

#Philadelphia Stars

With AAA club Norfolk being knocked out of the playoffs, the Stars recalled Ps Don Newcombe and John Burkett, IFs Jung Ho Kang and Harmon Killebrew, C Sherm Lollar, and OF Odúbel Herrera.

Harry Hooper–who has struggled since joining the Stars–will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. Rafael Palmiero was recalled, creating even more of a logjam at 1B for the Stars.

With Bill Gatewood‘s return from injury, Burkett was returned to the minors.

Newcombe made a statement in his first start of the year, twirling a 3-hit, complete game shutout of Ottawa. Powered by a grandslam from Scott Rolen as well as homeruns from Aaron Judge and Chase Utley, the Stars rolled to a 7-0 win. Newcombe fanned 7 and didn’t walk anyone, showing the promise that made him so highly rated before a disastrous season last year when he led the WBL in losses. Perhaps now, on his 3rd franchise, the 31 year old is finally set to deliver.

TWIWBL 72.1: Year 2, Week 15: All Star Week!

By

On February 12, 2025

In TWIWBL

July 9th

It’s All-Star Week! That means that, not only do we cover those festivities, we have our first wave of midseason trades, followed by the usual divisional notes on a shorter slate of games.

#Awards

Brooklyn‘s Beals Becker picked up the NL Player of the Week, hitting .538 with 4 homers in the span. Over in the AL, perhaps peeved by his omission from the All Star Game, Cleveland‘s Lance Berkman hit .360 with 9–NINE–homeruns in the week, taking down the AL Player of the Week.

#Team Performance

No significant changes, but some teams are making moves. San Francisco remains the only team truly running away with their division, leading the Cum Posey Division by 11.5 games over Miami, who have taken over 2nd place from Chicago.

The New York Black Yankees have the 2nd best record in baseball and a 4.5 game lead over Cleveland in the Bill James Division.

That leaves the Effa Manley Division and Marvin Miller Division. In the former, Brooklyn leads Homestead by 3.5, with the New York Gothams fading a bit, sitting tied with Philadelphia at 8 games back. In the Marvin Miller, Kansas City still leads, but not only is Indianapolis only 2 games back, Houston, 8-2 over their last 10 games, has moved to within 5.5.

Last years champions, Baltimore, continue to have the worst record in the league, with a 38-52 record so far.

#Player Performance

With all the numbers and discussion surrounding the All Star Game, we’re going to skip the Performance section this time, instead revisiting last year’s mid-season trades.

#Looking Back: Last Year’s Mid-Season Trades

I’ve somewhat quickly and arbitrarily given weights to the trades. The winning team is in italics. Overall, here is how everyone ranked out from last year.

Clear Winners: Birmingham, Baltimore, Ottawa
Did OK: Philadelphia, Detroit
Meh: Cleveland, Homestead, Memphis, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Gothams
Not Great: San Francisco, Indianapolis, Miami, Black Yankees
Clear Losers: Houston, Chicago

The details:

Big Wins

Birmingham sends Hoyt Wilhelm and Dick Rudolph to Chicago for Melky Cabrera, A. Rube Foster, Adrián González, & a 2nd (Trea Turner)

Foster is no longer with Birmingham, having been part of a later trade for Andy Pettitte, but that he had enough value to land the ERA champ alone makes this a win for the Black Barons. González has frustrated, but he’s still been a solid WBL 1B in the interim, and both Cabrera and Turner look to have some upside, especially Turner. Wilhelm has been average in Chicago’s pen and Rudolph has downright struggled.

Cleveland fleece Houston for Lance Berkman, sending Harry Stovey, Charlie Grimm, Chad Qualls and a 3rd (Garry Templeton) to the Colt 45's.

Berkman was struggling, but he has hit 39 homers and driven in 104 since the trade. Templeton refused to sign, and while the rest have some talent, it’s unclear they will ever push past the talent in front of them in Houston.

Baltimore sent Mike Morgan, Richie Sexson, Chris Hoiles and Joe Dugan to Miami for Manny Machado.

Machado was a World Series hero and remains the Black Sox’ starting 3B. Hoiles and Sexson both have some offensive pop, but both are pretty buried in Miami’s farm system.

Cleveland sent Andrew Payne, Hardie Henderson, Darrell Miller, and Gibby Brack to Philadelphia for Ron Reed.

This seemed to make sense at the time, as Reed looked like the missing piece for the Spiders’ bullpen. But Henderson has developed into an all-star with the Stars, and Reed, while not bad, hasn’t been great for Cleveland. Of the rest, only Payne is still with the Stars, and he may never see the WBL.

Small Wins

The Black Yankees send Sam Thompson, Dick Bartell, and a 4th (Mark Eichhorn) to Ottawa for Gary Lavelle and Jamie Moyer.

Lavelle and Moyer were both bad for New York. Lavelle is out with a long term injury, and Moyer was later traded to Chicago; given that the purpose of the trade was to shore up the Black Yankees for the post-season–which they missed–this has to be a win for Ottawa. Thompson is doing well for them, and Eichhorn has some future utility.

San Francisco sent Rube Melton, Derrick May, and a 3rd (Gary Matthews) to Birmingham for Tim Hudson.

Hudson was an all-star, then imploded, and now is on the DL for so long his career may be toast. Given that, the fact that all 3 prospects are doing alright make this a win for Birmingham.

The New York Gothams receive Don Sutton from Brooklyn in exchange for Ray Lamb, Gil Heredia, Lew Krause Jr, Don Mueller, a 1st (Al Simmons), and an 8th (Vic Lombardi).

Sutton’s been solid for New York, on the fringes of their rotation and providing good bullpen work. Krause and Simmons seem to have the highest ceiling of what they received (Mueller and Lombardi look fine, and neither Lamb nor Heredia are still with Brooklyn).

Ottawa sends Freddy Parent to Chicago for Sibby Sisti, Bob Watson, and Rickie Weeks.

Ottawa only wins this because it cleared room for Álex Rodríguez, who has blossomed this year. Watson–theoretically the centerpiece of the deal–was recently sent down to AAA, Sisti was released, and Weeks looks unlikely to make an impact. Still, the less said about Parent’s time in Chicago, the better.

Brooklyn sends Curt Flood, Manny Trillo, and a 6th (Steve Avery) to Birmingham for Frank Isbell.

Isbell is at AAA after a horrible start to the season. Flood and Avery each have some upside, so this is a small win for Birmingham.

Birmingham sends Tom Herr to the Black Yankees for Reddy Mack, Bill Buckner, Heathcliff Slocumb, Charlie Keller, Moose Skowron, & a 10th (Eddie Solomon)

Herr was sold at his absolute peak, and the Black Yankees are already casting around for a replacement. As importantly, the trade cleared the way for Cupid Childs to take over at 2B, a clear win for Birmingham. None of the prospects look like much (Buckner was traded on, Keller retired, and the rest look like filler at best).

Indianapolis sent Ernie Lombardi to Detroit for Donie Bush, Jorge Orta, Brandon League, Gene Martin and a 2nd (Matt Chapman).

Detroit wins this one, as Lombardi has been quite good for them, as only Chapman and Bush are still with the ABC’s, and neither looks like much at this point.

Miami got fixated on the potential of Minnie Miñoso, sending Don Newcombe, Clay Condrey, and a 4th (José Quintana) to Chicago for him.

Miñoso has finally begun to show some potential at AAA after some miserable time with the Cuban Giants, while none of the other players are with Chicago (Newcombe was traded, Condrey released, and Quintana refused to sign a rookie contract).

Ottawa sends Steve Garvey and Spud Johnson to Los Angeles for Rusty Staub.

Staub has outperformed Garvey, but both have held down WBL roster spots. Johnson is a free agent at this point.

Ottawa and Los Angeles made a second deal, with the Angels receiving Carlos Delgado in exchange for Dave Bennett, Carlos Beltrán, Jim Stephens, and Sean O'Sullivan.

This one also favors Ottawa. Delgado has been excellent for the Angels, hitting 28 homeruns since the trade. But Beltrán is a borderline all-star for the Mounties. Bennett and Stephens have a little potential, O’Sullivan is currently a free agent.

Here's much ado about nothing: Los Angeles sent Brian Downing, Kurt Stillwell, and Dave LaRoche to San Francisco for Wally Moon, Dwayne Murphy, a 4th (John Lackey) and a 6th (Omar Olivares).

Downing is young enough to do something, as are Moon, Murphy, and Lackey. The trade failed to help San Francisco in the immediate (its ostensible purpose). Slight edge to Los Angeles.

San Francisco picks up Tommy Bridges from Miami for Shawn Estes, Turk Wendell, and a 5th (Mark Kotsay).

Only Kotsay remains with Miami, as such, even though Bridges has been unable to hold down a WBL spot, he has been there, giving the Sea Lions the edge.

San Francisco sent Steve Hertz and a 2nd (Judy Johnson) to Homestead for Phil Garner.

Scrap Iron Garner has been fine as utility IF for the Sea Lions, especially recently, but Johnson may be something special, recently joining Homestead as a 19 year old.

Houston gives up Hack Wilson, Jim Kaat, DJ LeMahieu, Stubby Overmire and a 5th (Nathan Eovaldi) for Memphis' Roger Clemens.

Clemens is doing well in Houston, falling just short of an all star selection. But that’s quite a haul: LeMahieu is pushing for a full time role with Memphis, Overmire is at the front of their rotation, Wilson is doing well at AAA and both Kaat and Eovaldi have some long term potential. If Clemens does become an all-star, and none of the others develop, this would swing towards Houston, but right now it feels like an overall win for the Red Sox.

Memphis sent Joe Beggs to Baltimore for Willie Sudhoff, Alex Johnson, and a 4th (Bill "Spaceman" Lee).

Beggs did what Baltimore needed in their Whirled Series run, but has struggled this year. Sudhoff was released, and Johnson and Lee look marginal at best right now.

Even Steven

Portland send Smokey Joe Wood & Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for Rogers Hornsby, Vince Coleman, and a 4th Round Pick (Lee May).

Wood is a borderline all-star for the Monarchs while Hornsby both fueled Portland’s playoff run last season and is an all-star this year. Portland released Coleman, neither Mesoraco nor May are doing much.

The House of David sent Sammy Sosa to Memphis for Tony Conigliaro, Fred Lynn, and a 2nd ("Big" Bill Lee).

An odd one to evaluate, as Sosa did well enough for Memphis for the House of David to trade for him back in the off season. Still, at this point, he was a black hole of a roster spot. Conigliaro and Lynn each show good power, so call it a wash.

#Injury Report

The Black Yankees’ Don Mattingly should begin his rehab assignment around the end of the week as should, perhaps, the House of David’s Jim Clinton.

TWIWBL 56.4: Spring Training Notes – Chicago American Giants

By

On February 21, 2024

In TWIWBL

Spring Training Questions

Four to five bullpen spots are up for grabs, essentially every role outside of closer (AJ Minter) and everyman (Hoyt Wilhelm). On the other side, some questions persist about the OF, and especially how Mike Fiore, who lead the WBL in walks but seems to offer little else and seems to be shying away from CF, fits in.

First round pick Jacob deGrom may push for a rotation spot, which would be, honestly, great for Chicago.

First Cuts

Doc Sykes didn’t survive the first round of cuts, as the American Giants want a few more innings in their evaluation of Jacob deGrom and Joe Lake. But the real logjam for Chicago is in the bullpen candidates. That thinned out some, as the team saw enough of Skip Pitlock, Larry White, and Brett Myers to know they weren’t in their immediate plans. Nor is Don Newcombe, who continues to confound everyone by seeming to have great stuff, but also getting rocked every time he takes the mound: perhaps a stint at AAA is what Newk actually needs.

That still leaves 20 pitchers in camp, so more sifting will be needed over the next week.

Jack Doyle is hitless this Spring, but his defensive versatility keesp him in camp, with Hal King the only C being reassigned given the hot starts from both Michael McKenry and Glenn Borgmann.

1B was already overly crowded, so the inability of Earl Sheely or Ruben Amaro Sr. to hit helps reduce the logjam there. Danny Murtaugh was cut at 2B, while Jorge Orta‘s upside keeps him in camp despite his early struggles. Ozzie Guillén was also reassigned with Luke Appling‘s strong showing keeping him in the running for a roster spot.

In the OF, both Vernon Wells and Lance Johnson have impressed at CF, with the trio of Bibb Falk, Steve Braun, and Ned Cuthbert all heading to minor league camp along with–in a bit of a surprise–Avisaíl García.

Second Cuts

Rich Garces (deservedly) and Joe Lake (perhaps not so deservedly) are moved into the American Giants’ minor league camp.

C Michael McKenry was sent down as Chicago clearly believes Dave Nilsson will somehow regain his stroke as Carlton Fisk‘s backup.

Both Paul Schaal and Joe Crede were sent down, with Ray Jablonski being recalled to help fill out the position. 2B Jorge Orta also heads down to the minors, as do Magglio Ordóñez and Rocky Colavito.

Special mention has to be made of Jack Doyle, who has an OPS of .111, but stays in camp solely due to his defensive versatility. Tom McCreery was recalled to help fill in defensively as well, but neither of them are good bets to make the final roster, although Doyle being a serviceable C does carry some weight.

Third Cuts

Jacon deGrom, Gavin Floyd, Don Wilson, and Joe Horlen all were sent down, essentially clarifying the American Giants’ starting rotation.

José Abreu and Lance Johnson were also sent to minor league camp.

Doyle sticks around, but Chicago should actively be in the market for someone to help out at across the infield who can hit more than Doyle. The standout performances from Vernon Wells and Lenny Dykstra are putting Kevin Mitchell‘s job as the 4th OFer at risk, but Mitchell hit enough last season to most likely prevail.

Final Cuts

Alex Reyes and Ray Jablonski were demoted, and Tom McCreery‘s brief shot at being a utility player ended with his being sent to AAA.

All of that means that Jack Doyle–he of the .400 Spring OPS–is likely to make the team as the reserve 3B (among other positions–Doyle’s flexibility is useful, even if his bat is not).

20 year old Glenn Borgmann was excellent all Spring–a .300 average, 3 homeruns, and decent play behind the plate. But Dave Nilsson retains his spot with Borgmann heading to the minors. The American Giants ducked more difficult choices by placing OF Kevin Mitchell on the DL to get down to 30 players.

The final cuts on the mound were pretty hard: Herb Pennock, Frank Smith, and Mike Adams were the choices, but there was very little to choose from between them, Larry Tiwtchell, and Billy Loes.

Luke Appling had a great Spring, but in the end was moved to AAA. Appling has established himself as the likely successor to Freddy Parent at SS, though.

Lenny Dykstra and Vernon Wells had a great battle all Spring. Wells edged out Dykstra, making the initial roster.

Season Review: Chicago American Giants

By

On January 2, 2024

In Season Reviews, Team News

88 - 66, .571 pct.
3rd in Cum Posey Division, 3 games behind.
Lost to Portland in Wild Card Round

Overall

An amazing offense, a solid pitching staff. But ultimately not enough: which means a solid pitching staff is insufficient for a team with championship aspirations.

The offense was a joy, though: Eddie Collins is a virtually perfect baseball specimen, and Frank Thomas, Joe Jackson, and Dick Allen are spectacular hitters.

What Went Right

All the offense all the time.

The top four batters each had OPS’ over .900 and between the four of them hit 102 homeruns, drove in 386 runs and scored 394. They even stole 100 bases, but really that was entirely Collins (61) and Jackson (34). Collins is the oldest at 27 with the other three 24 or under, so the future is bright here.

And it’s not like the offense drops much behind them: Duffy Lewis had a SLG over .500, Mike Fiore had an OBP over .400, Carlton Fisk‘s OPS near .800 makes him a pretty elite hitter for a catcher, and Cristóbal Torriente had a solid year overall and a great one considering he’s still a teenager.

On the mound, AJ Minter was among the best closers in the league and David Price was spectacular after being brought over from Indianapolis. Ben Sheets and Tricky Nichols were good, perhaps a little better than good and Ed Walsh showed flashes of excellence.

Hoyt Wilhelm and Ken Sanders were good out of the pen.

Note how tepid the praise is getting …

ALL STARS
3B Dick Allen; 2B Eddie Collins; OF Joe Jackson; OF Duffy Lewis; RP AJ Minter; P Tricky Nichols; 1B Frank Thomas

What Went Wrong

The American Giants brought in Freddy Parent at the all star break to solidify the SS position. The revolving door there stopped, but Parent wasn’t very good–certainly not as good as he was in the first half of the season for Ottawa.

Five players (Magglio Ordoñez, Jack Doyle, José Abreu, Luke Appling, and most of all Damian Jackson) were given 100+ PAs to lay claim to jobs, and they each failed somewhat spectacularly.

But really the focus here has to be on the mound. Chicago had its share of hurlers who were given a chance and weren’t up to it–every team does. But they had a much larger group of pitchers who were just far too mediocre for a championship team. This includes Dick Rudolph, who was no worse than he was for Birmingham but also no better; Akinori Otsuka, Mark Buehrle, Herb Pennock … the list goes on. Special mention has to be made of Don Newcombe, whose raw numbers are good until you encounter his home run rate. Not giving up a lot of hits doesn’t mean a lot if the ones you give up continually leave the yard.

Transactions

March

None

June

OF Melky Cabrera, P A. Rube Foster, 1B Adrián González & 2nd Round Pick to Birmingham for P Hoyt Wilhelm & P Dick Rudolph

Regret may set in, especially around Foster, but the move made sense at the time, and Wilhelm is almost a unique reliever, which makes up for a little bit of the lost value.

OF Minnie Miñoso to Miami for P Don Newcombe, P Clay Condrey & 4th Round Pick {José Quintana}

If Necombe turns it around, maybe this was worth it. Maybe.

3B Sibby Sisti; OF Bob Watson; 2B Rickie Weeks to Ottawa for SS Freddy Parent

Another one that seemed quite reasonable at the time, but Watson especially may be missed (at the same time, he was pretty completely blocked positionally at Chicago).

July

3B Robin Ventura, P Tyler Clippard, 4th Round Pick & 5th Round Pick to Indianapolis for P David Price & 2B Jorge Orta

Ventura was a bust in Chicago, and especially in light of Price’s stellar performance, this feels fine.

Looking Forward

SP

This is a need. For now, the American Giants are fine, but the long term trio of Ed Walsh, Mark Buehrle, and Harry Buckner is solid, but not spectacular.

RP

Minter and Wilhelm are good and there is some talent behind them, notably Scott Radinksy (despite his struggles this season) and Hector Neris.

C

Carlton Fisk is expected to be here for quite some time.

1B

Frank Thomas. Simply, Frank Thomas.

2B

Eddie Collins. Simply, Eddie Collins.

3B

Dick Allen. Simply, Dick Allen.

SS

This is likely an issue–and soon if Freddy Parent doesn’t turn it around. Luke Appling and Tim Anderson are waiting in the wings if that comes to pass.

LF

Duffy Lewis was surprisingly effective, and has the claim on the position for a while.

CF

The American Giants were as surprised as anyone that Mike Fiore led the league in walks.

RF

Joe Jackson. Simply, Joe Jackson.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The American Giants were thrilled that Jacob DeGrom was still on the board with the 18th pick. Whether he shows up in Chicago next year or the year after, he should arrive very soon to help out their rotation.

In the third round, they picked up CF Lenny Dykstra in a “best player available” move and in the 4th, SP José Quintana, because you can never have too much young pitching and OF/1B Walter “Steel Arm” Davis, because you can never have too many cool nicknames.

Rounds 5-8

With no picks in the 5th or 6th rounds, Chicago’s franchise exceptions dropped significantly in value. They need a few 1B, some help at 3B, arms, and some OF depth. Still, they were able to grab Freddy Sánchez in round 7 and Cass Michaels in round 8, each of which have a shot at WBL time at some point (Michaels as soon as this season as a utility IF).

Rounds 9-12

P Josh Hader (final exemption); P Tom Williams; P Vern Kennedy; OF Craig Gentry.

4th round pick José Quintana and and 9th round selection Josh Hader both refused to come to terms for Chicago, who will receive compensation in next year’s draft for Quintana.

TWIWBL 48.8: The Playoffs! Wild Card Round, Day V– September 20

By

On September 20, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, 2000 Spring Training, Featured Games

Only 2 series left to play: Portland and Chicago are all tied up, and Baltimore holds a 3-1 edge over the House of David.

#Portland Sea Dogs v Chicago American Giants, Game 5

We’re down to the proverbial best of 3 here, with a rematch of the opening game of the series, Walter Johnson for Portland and Tricky Nichols for Chicago.

Johnson struggled in the bottom of the first, but escaped with only a single run scoring: Eddie Collins walked, but was thrown out trying to steal; then a Joe Jackson single and a walk to Frank Thomas were followed by a double by Duffy Lewis, scoring Jackson. Dick Allen lined a shot into the gap, but not only did Harry Hooper make the diving catch, he sprang to his feet and threw a strike to cut down Thomas trying to score.

So, 1-0 Chicago after 1.

Portland would respond: back to back doubles by Rogers Hornsby and Buddy Bell tied the game, and Jim Fregosi plated Bell with a single, putting the Sea Dogs ahead, 2-1. But this Chicago lineup is rough: hits by Collins, Jackson, and Thomas tied the game again in the bottom of the 3rd.

Nichols couldn’t make it out of the 5th, when a–and here’s a surprise–triple from Kent Hrbek scored Joe Mauer to put Portland back in front, 3-2. In came Don Newcombe, but Gavvy Cravath singled in Hrbek, and after a Hornsby hit, Bell drove in 2 more. That made it 6-2 in this key game 5.

Johnson gave up a homerun to Jackson, but did make it through the 5th inning.

The rest of the game was … odd. A lot of baserunners, a few more tallies for Portland, but nothing to really threaten the outcome. The American Giants left 11 runners on base, which meant Joe Jackson’s record-tying 5 hits were for naught.

Bell and Hrbek had 3 hits each for Portland, who now sit 1 win from advancing to the second round.

POR 8 (Johnson 2-0; Miller 1 H; Cuellar 1 H) @ CAG 3 (Nichols 0-2)
HRs: POR – Murcer (2); CAG – Jackson (1).
Box Score

#Baltimore Black Sox v Wandering House of David

While Baltimore isn’t too bothered by their loss in game 4, they certainly don’t want to give the House of David any real hope. Game 5 will be a rematch of game one: Bill Byrd for Baltimore and Jack Taylor for the House of David.

Sometimes, it’s the little things: a surprise double from Paul Blair, a sacrifice bunt from Bobby Wallace and a single through the drawn in infield by Dan McGann, hitting second with Larry Gardner out injured.

Sometimes, it’s the big things: Frank Robinson depositing a pitch into the left field stands, increasing the lead to 3-0.

Pete Browning drove in 2 with a double in the bottom of the frame, making it 3-2. Which is how it stayed through 6, as both Byrd and Taylor settled down.

Gregg Olson relieved Byrd in the bottom of the 7th., while Wade Miley came in for Taylor in the 8th. Olson gave way to Joe Beggs, and everything stayed the same: 3-2 Baltimore, heading to the 9th.

Blair added an insurance run with an RBI single in the top of the frame, meaning it all came down to these final three outs against Baltimore’s closer, Buddy Groom.

Groom was perfect, and the Black Sox were through!

This was a well pitched game, with Taylor just a shade less effective than Byrd, making all the difference. Baltimore’s bullpen threw 3 no-hit innings in relief, closing the door on any possible comeback.

This was the least surprising result, given how strong Baltimore was in the regular season, but still, it was good for the Black Sox to seal the deal.

BAL 4 (Byrd 2-0; Groom 3 Sv; Olson 1 H; Beggs 2 H) @ HOD 2 (Taylor 0-2)
HRs: BAL – Robinson (1); HOD – none.
Box Score

The MVP choice was weird: Dan McGann hit .412 with 2 homeruns and 4 RBIs, which is certainly good. But Ken Singleton had 2 HR and 8 RBI, Bill Byrd went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA, and Buddy Groom had 3 saves, so McGann had significant competition.

TWIWBL 47.0: End Of Season Review

By

On September 1, 2023

In TWIWBL

September 14

Just a quick look through the performances at the end of the season. Look for both award posts and more in-depth reviews of the season over the offseason. BUT FIRST … are you ready for some playoffs?

Awards

Portland‘s Jim Fregosi won the final Player of the Week Award, hitting .588 down the final week of the season.

Performance

Batters

Babe Ruth finished the season on fire, taking over the league lead in RBIs and walks and maintaining his edge in … almost everything else. At the end of the season, it looks like he should indeed walk away with the MVP.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 336/412/649. 44 HR, 109 R.
Eddie Collins (CAG). 315/409/513. 6.5 WAR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 352/391/557. 192 H.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 240/405/390. 109 BB.
Hank Greenberg (DET). 317/374/595. 45 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 279/400/371. 99 SB.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 317/424/589.
Willie Mays (NYG). 322/384/516. 186 H.
Stan Musial (KAN). 329/395/577. 49 2B.
Alejandro Oms (MCG). 259/313/410. 13 3B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 330/391/529. 134 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 282/362/414. 92 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/427/663. 48 HR, 136 RBI, 127 R, 110 BB, 8.1 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 293/322/447. 14 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

For context, included all 15 game winners, as well as the league leaders in BA against, BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play), HR/9, and BB/9.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 14-3, 3.33.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 16-9, 4.16.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 14-7, 3.46. 207 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-12, 4.35. 188 K.
Walter Johnson (POR). 14-5, 3.50. .211 Avg.
Pat Malone (CLE). 17-8, 3.84. 5.0 WAR.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 17-8, 3.50. 211 IP.
Tricky Nichols (CAG). 15-9, 4.14.
Roy Oswalt (HOU). 14-8, 3.70. 207 IP.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 12-9, 3.79. 5.1 WAR, 3.52 FIP.
Andy Pettitte (KAN/BBB). 15-5, 3.20.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 12-7, 3.87. 1 Sv, 3.47 FIP, 0.5 HR/9.
Charlie Root (SFS/DET). 10-6, 3.53. 1.06 WHIP, .239 BABIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.42. 1.14 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 11-10, 4.36. 1.7 BB/IP.

Relievers

35 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.65. 38 Sv. 0.0 HR/9.
Rod Beck (SFS). 2-7, 5.23. 33 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 2-7, 4.60. 38 Sv.
Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H. 0.98 WHIP, .182 Avg.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.61. 30 Sv. 2.88 FIP.
Buddy Napier (DET). 2-1, 2.81. 2 Sv, 9 H. 0.94 WHIP, .198 BABIP.
Don Newcombe (MCG/CAG). 4-15, 6.29. 2 H. 1.3 BB/9.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-4, 1.47. 8 Sv, 15 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 1-6, 4.61. 3 Sv, 17 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 7-5, 3.86. 1 Sv, 18 H.
Carson Smith (NYG). 3-0, 2.05. 1 Sv, 10 H. 0.0 HR/9.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 2-0, 2.13. 29 Sv, 1 H. 0.0 HR/9, 2.58 FIP.

Final Series Results

Series Sweeps

Detroit Wolverines over Wandering House of David
Memphis Red Sox over Los Angeles Angels

Taking 3 out of 4

New York Gothams over Portland Sea Dogs
Baltimore Black Sox over Kansas City Monarchs
Chicago American Giants over Brooklyn Royal Giants
Houston Colt 45’s over Ottawa Mounties
San Francisco Sea Lions over Indianapolis ABC’s
Miami Cuban Giants over Homestead Grays
Birmingham Black Barons over Philadelphia Stars

Series Splits

New York Black Yankees @ Cleveland Spiders

TWIWBL 44.2: Series XXXVI Notes – Cum Posey Division

By

On August 9, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore wanted to add another lefty to the pen, bringing up Scott McGregor and sending Lindy McDaniel down to AAA.

Curt Blefary‘s second homerun of the game (his 26th of the season) was a walk-off affair as the Black Sox edged Ottawa 7-5. Blefary had 4 hits and 4 RBIs in a game that saw Johnny Sain take back the #5 spot in the rotation from Jim Palmer.

The Black Sox pounded out 15 hits in a 14-1 pounding of the Mounties, getting 4 RBI’s from Blefary who, along with Frank Robinson, had 3 hits. Bill Byrd threw a strong 7 innings, improving to 14-3 on the year.

#Chicago American Giants

Perhaps in a preview of what the post-season holds, Chicago has moved Ed Walsh into the 4th spot of their rotation, and have not named a number five starter, although it is assumed that either Mark Buehrle or Ben Sheets will hold down the back of the staff.

Eddie Collins scored 3 times without an official AB (he walked 4 times), and Shoeless Joe Jackson had 3 hits and 6 RBIs (3 coming on his 29th homerun) to lead Chicago to a back and forth 8-7 win over Kansas City. Cristóbal Torriente had 3 hits as well with the victory going to Buehrle in his first relief appearance.

Duffy Lewis had 4 hits in an 8-5 victory over Kansas City, but the story of the game for the postseason might be the growing success of the American Giants bullpen. Here, Don Newcombe, Fernando Rodney, Ken Sanders, and A.J. Minter combined with over 4 innings of near-perfect relief, with Rodney getting the win and Minter his 28th save.

David Price has been magnificent since joining Chicago, but he saved his best performance for the series finale against Kansas City, spinning a complete game, 2-hit shutout. Price carried a no-hitter into the 8th, improving his record with the American Giants to 4-0. Dick Allen drove in all 4 runs on 2 hits, one his 25th homerun of the season.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Bones Ely‘s return from the DL meant Tom Sturdivant was returned to AAA.

Casey Stengel ripped his second pinch hit homerun of the year, this one a grand slam, but it wasn’t enough as the Colt 45’s fell to Birmingham, 10-6.

#Kansas City Monarchs

OF Max Flack retired at the end of the AA season.

The Monarchs needed a starter and recalled Joe Blong.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard returned to the rotation for Ottawa, taking Johnny Podgajny‘s place.

RP Steve Reed announced his retirement from AA.

Randy Johnson left with an elbow injury after only an inning of work, but will likely only miss a few days. Podgajny did a good job in relief, perhaps earning another shot at starting before season’s end. Roberto Alomar tied the game with a homerun and Carlos Beltrán added 2 hits, but it wasn’t enough as Baltimore won the game in the bottom of the 9th, 7-5.

A potential bright spot for Ottawa: Roy Halladay joined AAA to get an outing or 2 after his long DL stint, with an outside shot at seeing action in the WBL before the end of the year.

TWIWBL 42.0: Series XXXIV Notes

By

On July 7, 2023

In TWIWBL

August 27th

Playoffs

The more things change, the more things stay the same …

On the whole, the playoff teams took care of business, with Cleveland sweeping Houston and Baltimore, Chicago, Portland, and the New York Black Yankees all winning 3 of 4 games.

As such, Baltimore still has the best record in the lead, and still leads the Chicago American Giants by 4 games in the Cum Posey Division. Chicago leads the wild card race, and both teams seem certain to make the postseason.

Each of the other divisions are tight as tight can be. In the Bill James Division, the Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are tied for first place, with the Wandering House of David 1 game back. Over in the Effa Manley Division, the Black Yankees have maintained their lead, but it’s down to 1 game over the Cleveland Spiders and in the Marvin Miller Division, the Portland Sea Dogs lead the Birmingham Black Barons by a single game, helped by Baltimore’s 3 wins coming against the Black Barons.

Right now, Cleveland and Birmingham are tied for the final wild card slot. The Houston Colt 45’s–five games back–still have an outside shot, but getting swept essentially took them out of the race. Realistically it looks like 1 of the 9 teams vying for the divisional leads won’t make the postseason.

Performance

Going into a little more depth this time, providing some insight into players who are not performing well, but have still, for a variety of reasons, amassed enough PA or IP to qualify for the leaderboards.

Batters

The list is longer, but not really. With Babe Ruth taking over the OBP lead from San Francisco‘s Reggie Jackson, if you ignore some of the outliers (the SB leaders, the 3B, etc), the offensive leaders of the WBL boil down to Ron Blomberg and Babe Ruth, with Pete Browning, Stan Musial, and Doug Rader in a second group, with apologies to Johnny Bench of the Indianapolis ABC’s, who is putting up outrageous numbers for a backstop. Bench, Musial (Kansas City) and Rader (Los Angeles) are out of the playoff picture, but the rest should be around for the postseason.

Johnny Bench (IND). 286/390/575. 5.7 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 339/410/655. 168 H, 40 HR, 101 R.
Pete Browning (HOD). 353/390/629.
Ty Cobb (DET). 348/391/557. 169 H.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/352/517. 5.7 WAR.
Willie Davis (PHI). 301/350/498. 11 3B.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/402/396. 100 BB.
Hank Greenberg (DET). 317/376/589. 41 2B.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 292/381/483. 41 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 268/398/356. 86 SB.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 316/430/598.
Stan Musial (KCM). 326/389/574. 44 2B.
Alejandro Oms (MCG). 255/308/398. 11 3B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 335/395/542. 122 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 288/367/426. 89 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 318/435/673. 43 HR, 121 RBI, 113 R, 100 BB, 7.4 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/464. 13 3B.

Anti-Batters

Looking at the pool of hitters who qualify for rate stats only. 17 of them haven’t hit a triple, so those are omitted.

Hank Aaron (BBB). 263/302/498. 21 GIDP.
Ernie Banks (HOD). 262/287/459. 16 BB.
Wade Boggs (MEM). 286/364/412. 25 GIDP.
José Canseco (MCG). 291/352/525. 159 SO.
Rico Carty (PHI). 264/340/421. 48 R.
George Davis (DET). 258/334/326. 1 HR.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/402/396. 89 H.
Tom Herr (BBB/NYY). 288/357/390. 2 HR, 25 RBI.
Gil Hodges (POR). 222/297/423. -0.4 WAR.
Frank Isbell (BBB/BRK). 310/341/401. 2 HR, 14 BB.
Derek Jeter (NYY). 262/311/369. -0.6 WAR.
Ted Kluszewski (PHI). 249/327/478. 48 R.
Freddy Parent (OTT/CAG). 257/305/431. 9 2B.
Ozzie Smith (KCM). 221/309/292. 86 H, 2HR, 25 RBI.
Pops Stargell (HOM). 243/327/427. 179 SO.
George Stone (HOD). 289/380/512. 12 2B.
Arky Vaughan (HOM/CLE). 235/348/335. 12 2B.
George Wright (LAA). 240/296/396.

This is an interesting list. There are some players considered stars on their teams–Aaron for Birmingham and Canseco for the Miami Cuban Giants especially (although GIDP and SO aren’t such awful things to lead the league in). Others are having decent seasons overall–Boggs, Banks, Hodges, Stone.

And then there is Ozzie Smith, hands down the weakest overall offensive player in the WBL. He’s been good defensively, but that’s a lot of negative output at the plate to overcome.

Mike Fiore offers the interesting case of being the only player to make both lists, leading the league in walks and having the second fewest hits of anybody qualifying for the leaderboards (behind Smith, of course).

Pitchers

Starters

A shorter list this time: 6 players have 14 wins, but since they would be 3rd in the league behind Christy Mathewson and Jack Taylor, they aren’t listed unless they qualify under another stat.

One thing to note: the presence of two starters from the San Francisco Sea Lions underscores how disappointing the season has been for them.

Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 191 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 7-11, 4.42. 175 K.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 16-7, 3.50.
Roy Oswalt (HOU). 12-8, 3.63. 188.1 IP.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 11-9, 3.72. 4.8 WAR, 3.45 FIP.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 11-6, 3.87. 3.29 FIP.
Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 14-4, 3.05. 1.18 WHIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.13. 1.12 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 10-9, 4.64. 188.1 IP, 4.4 WAR.

Anti-Starters

Bert Blyleven (POR). 10-10, 4.17. 30 HRA.
Roger Clemens (MEM/HOU). 11-8, 5.31.
Vean Gregg (HOM). 9-8, 4.78. 97 BB, 1.59 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 98 BB.
Luke Hamlin (KCM). 9-12, 4.80.
Jon Lester (MEM). 9-12, 4.68.
Dolf Luque (IND). 8-10, 5.29. 5.67 FIP.
Juan Marichal (NYG). 11-8, 5.64. 1.56 WHIP.
Wade Miley (HOD). 7-5, 5.05. 5.50 WHIP.
Don Newcombe (MCG/CAG). 4-13, 6.44. 34 HRA.
Jack Scott (NYY). 14-5, 4.41. 30 HRA.

Lefty Grove is on both lists: if he ever masters his control, he could be the best starter in the league (and if he loses an edge to his pitches, he could quickly be out of the league).

Blyleven and Scott are front of rotation starters for playoff bound teams, and Clemens has pitched far better since arriving in Houston, but his earlier performance for the Memphis Red Sox was so, so poor.

Newcombe is an conundrum: he doesn’t give up many hits or many walks, but when he does get hit, he gets hit hard.

Relievers

The best of the lot are probably Baltimore’s Buddy Groom and a duo from the Gothams, closer Brian Wilson and do-everything Mike Norris.

35 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.84. 33 Sv. 1 H.
Buddy Groom (BAL). 2-2, 1.93. 6 Sv, 13 H, 0.99 WHIP.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-6, 4.83. 35 Sv.
* Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.34. 8 Sv, 13 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.58. 3 Sv, 17 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-4, 3.92. 1 Sv, 17 H.
Ed Walsh (CAG). 8-6, 2.73. 5 H, 3.00 FIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.00. 24 Sv, 1 H, 2.58 FIP.

Streaks

Very little going on here.

Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich–who should come of the DL soon–has reached base in 32 consecutive games, good for the 4th best streak in the league.

Brian Wilson has converted 22 consecutive saves and Andy Pettitte, between his time with Kansas City and Baltimore, has won his last 9 decisions, and is undefeated in his last 12 appearances.

Series Results

Series XXXV Sweeps

Cleveland over Houston
Memphis over Philadelphia Stars

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXXV

Baltimore over Birmingham
Chicago over Ottawa Mounties
Portland over Homestead Grays
Indianapolis over Miami
New York Black Yankees over San Francisco

Series Splits in Series XXXV

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Kansas City
Detroit @ Los Angeles
House of David @ New York Gothams

Series XXXIII Featured Matchup: Chicago American Giants @ Wandering House of David

By

On June 14, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: David Price @ Wade Miley

Chicago’s David Price was masterful, allowing only 1 run and 3 hits in just shy of 8 innings, leading the American Giants to a 5-1 victory. Dick Allen hit his 21st homerun and Kevin Mitchell his 2nd for Chicago, who also got 2 hits from Frank Thomas and Duffy Lewis.

The American Giants got a bit of a scare in the 7th as a Scott Downs fastball slammed into Mike Fiore‘s face. The American Giants CF got up from the ground with blood streaming from their nose, and had to be replaced by Jack Doyle.

CAG 5 (Price 2-0) @ HOD 1 (Miley 7-5)
HRs: CAG – Allen (21), Mitchell (2); HOD – Edmonds (15).
Box Score

News after the game was good for Chicago: Fiore would only miss a few days with a broken nose and, perhaps, a new profile.

More importantly, Pete Browning has, at long last, accumulated enough plate appearances to qualify for the the league leader lists. Browning leads the league in BA at .354 and is 3rd in SLG at .636.

#Game 2: Mark Buehrle @ Frank Sullivan

The House of David got one back with a sterling starting performance of their own as Frank Sullivan pitched into the 9th inning having allowed only 1 run and 5 hits. Despite some recent struggles, Bruce Sutter was solid in relief, picking up his 20th save of the year.

Elrod Hendricks gave the House of David an early lead with his 33rd homerun of the year, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the first. They would double their lead in the 5th, first on an RBI double from Skeeter Barnes and then when Barnes pulled off a steal of home with 2 outs.

Chicago’s Mark Buehrle was the hard luck loser, allowing 7 hits in what turned out to be a complete game 8 innings.

CAG 1 (Buehrle 10-9) @ HOD 4 (Sullivan 9-8; Sutter 20 Sv)
HRs: CAG – Collins (18); HOD – Hendricks (33).
Box Score

#Game 3: Ben Sheets @ Jack Taylor

While Chicago considered sending Ed Walsh out instead of the struggling Ben Sheets, the American Giants decided in the end to keep their rotation intact, hoping Sheets can match up against the league’s best pitcher, Jack Taylor.

Homeruns from Frank Thomas and Cristóbal Torriente gave Chicago an early 3-0 lead, but Taylor settled down after that. Surprisingly, Sheets was even better, tossing a 3-hit shutout through 5 innings.

The 6th was decisive: a double by Duffy Lewis made it 4-0, and Dick Allen‘s 22nd homerun (and 99th RBI) chased Taylor with the score 6-0 Chicago. 3 more runs in the 7th made it 9-0, and the game seemed out of reach.

Seemed.

2 runs in the bottom of the inning put the House of David on the board, and then they exploded in the bottom of the 8th, fueled by a 2-run double by Pete Browning and a bases clearing double from Richie Hebner. Suddenly, it was 9-7 with Hebner on 3rd and 1 out. A single from Ron Santo–his 4th hit of the day–made it 9-8 and chased Don Newcombe from the mound. Hoyt Wilhelm got out of the inning, but suddenly we had a ballgame.

But AJ Minter closed it out for his 23rd save, and Chicago won a game that was far closer than it should have been. The win put Chicago ahead 2-1 in the series.

CAG 9 (Sheets 9-8; Minter 23 Sv; Wilhelm 3 H) @ HOD 8 (Taylor 14-9)
HRs: CAG – Thomas (24), Torriente (1), Allen (22); HOD – none.
Box Score

#Game 4: Tricky Nichols @ CC Sabathia

George Stone led off the bottom of the 1st with his 26th homerun, but Chicago answered with a bases-loaded double from Freddy Parent. Chicago’s Tricky Nichols never really settled down, giving up dingers to Jim Edmonds and Ernie Banks in the 3rd before another homerun, this one to Anthony Rizzo, chased him in the 4th.

CC Sabathia, meanwhile, was cruising, not allowing a run since Parent’s double through 6 innings. His relief didn’t do so well: a Dick Allen homerun started their 8th inning, and a flurry of singles brought in 3 more runs. That closed the gap to 8-7 in favor of the House of David.

But, much like the prior game, the closer came through: Bruce Sutter struck out 2 in a perfect 9th to give the House of David a series split.

CAG 7 (Nichols 14-8) @ HOD 8 (Sabathia 11-11; Sutter 21 Sv; Smith 13 H)
HRs: CAG – Allen (23); HOD – Stone (26), Edmonds (16), Banks (23), Rizzo (13).
Box Score

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