Baseball The Way It Never Was

Tag: Jackie Robinson

Series XVI Featured Game: Philadelphia Stars @ Los Angeles Angels

Entries for Series XVI come down to a single game and a great series. First, the game.

#Philadelphia Stars @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 3

With the series tied at 2, Philadelphia sent Jaret Wright to the mound to take on Nolan Ryan. Ryan was making his 6th start of the year, and his 3rd after returning to the rotation. It hasn’t gone great: 2 losses and 9 runs in 9 innings.

It didn’t start great for Ryan, as he gave up a leadoff single to Willie Davis and walked Rico Carty, but induced a double play from Ted Kluszewski to escape the inning.

Los Angeles scored in the bottom of the frame on a Mike Trout single after Don Buford led off with a base hit and stole second.

The top of the second was more of the same for Ryan: a single, a hit by pitch, and a walk, but no runs allowed. The third was not so kind: Gavvy Cravath doubled in a run, Kluszewski scored on a wild pitch, and Cravath scored on a groundout to give the Angels the lead, 3-1. Ryan wouldn’t make it through the 4th, as he hit another batter and walked Kluszewski, bringing in Pud Galvin from the bullpen, who was able to shut the door despite a walk to load the bases.

Wright was sailing along at this point, but a leadoff single in the bottom of the 4th was followed by a 2-run homerun from Trout, tying the game at 3.

Wright and Galvin traded goose eggs until the bottom of the 7th, when Wright walked Doug Rader and gave up a double to Bobby Grich.

So we went to the top of the 9th with the Angels ahead by a run. It had been an hard game on the Angels’ staff, and with their usual closer, Joe Nathan, a bit fatigued, they turned to Francisco Rodriguez. Rodriguez got Sherm Lollar to strike out swinging, but gave up a double to Carty.

That brought in Jonny Venters to face Kluszewski, who grounded out, sending John Montgomery Ward (who pinch-ran for Carty) to third. With that, the Angels turned to a tired Nathan to close the game out. Instead, he walked Cravath and gave up a game-tying single to Scott Rolen.

Larry Jackson, on for Philadelphia, kept it tied, and with nobody else to turn to, LA kept Nathan out there. It wasn’t a great move, as Davis took him deep for a 5-4 lead for the Stars.

The Stars’ Bobby Howry relieved Jackson, and retired the side on six pitches to preserve the win. Davis had three hits and Cravath two for the Stars, while Trout had 2 hits and 3 RBI for the Angels.

PHI 5 (Jackson 3-1; Howry 16 Sv) @ LAA 4 (Nathan 3-3, 3 BSv; Gooden 1 H; Rodriguez 4 H; Venters 7 H) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Davis (10); LAA – Trout (6)
Box Score

#Brooklyn Royal Giants @ New York Black Yankees, Games 1, 3 & 4

Since I don’t want to write detailed summaries of each game–we do have a featured series, after all–I will instead trace some of the major throughlines.

Game one was a pitching duel between Frank Knauss and Red Ruffing. The Black Yankees scored a run in the bottom of the first two innings on a homerun from Babe Ruth and a triple from Lou Gehrig.

Ruffing–who is quickly moving into all-star contention–had a shutout through 8, but with one out in the 9th, gave up a double to Roy White and a single to Duke Snider. That brought in the Black Yankees’ closer, Sparky Lyle. Lyle struggled, giving up an RBI single to Jermaine Dye and base hit to Ron Cey to load the bases, before inducing a double play groundout from Hi Myers to preserve the victory.

Brooklyn shuffled its roster significantly prior to the series, and the game saw the WBL debuts of Dye and Michael Brantley.

BRK 1 (Knauss 4-4) @ NYY 2 (Ruffing 9-1; Lyle 9 Sv)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (22)
Box Score

Game three was somewhat similar: Waite Hoyt of the Black Yankees had a solid start going, while Brooklyn’s Don Sutton struggled a bit, leaving New York leading 5 to 4 (Brooklyn’s Al Lopez hit a homerun in his first WBL at-bat and Babe Ruth hit a 2-run shot for New York) heading into the top of the 9th.

Again, the Black Yankees turned to Sparky Lyle. And that’s where the game turned.

Lyle gave up a leadoff walk to Dickie Thon, a single to Duke Farrell, an RBI single to Beals Becker and another to Jackie Robinson. Roy White singled to load the bases, and that was it for Lyle. Ralph Citarella gave up a double to Duke Snider, and when the inning ended, Brooklyn was on top 8-5.

Despite giving up a leadoff single to Lou Gehrig, Brooklyn’s closer, Watty Clark, shut the door in the bottom of the 9th.

Becker, Robinson, Snider, and Lopez each had 2 hits for the Royal Giants while Mickey Mantle was 4-for-4 for New York.

BRK 8 (Hildenberger 3-0; Clark 11 Sv) @ NYY 5 (Lyle 0-2, 3 BSv; Betances 4 H)
HRs: BRK – Lopez (1); NYY – Ruth (23)
Box Score

The final game of the series promised to be another pitching duel between Brooklyn’s Don Drysedale and New York’s Ron Guidry. It wasn’t. Drysedale gave up 10 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) in 6 innings and while Guidry fared a little better (4 runs in 5.2 innings), it wasn’t a great performance by any means.

Guidry did become the first WBL pitcher to notch 100 strikeouts on the season.

The Black Yankees led 6 to 4 heading to the top of the 8th. But Jermaine Dye took Lady Baldwin deep for a 2-run homerun to tie the game. Then, in the top of the 9th, Goose Gossage (perhaps auditioning to become New York’s new closer) gave up another 2-run shot, this one to Roy White, to give the Royal Giants the lead.

Thurman Munson continued his torrid streak, getting his fourth hit of the day with a double to lead off the bottom of the 9th, but Watty Clark was able to get out of the inning with only 1 run scoring, giving Brooklyn the win and a 3-1 edge in the series.

BRK 8 (Gagne 2-2; Clark 12 Sv) @ BYY (Gossage 3-3; Baldwin 3 BSv)
HRs: BRK – Cey (10), Dye (1), White (8); NYY – Jeter (5), Belle (7)
Box Score

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Previews II – Second Basemen

{ With under three weeks until the All Star Teams are announced, we’re looking at what’s changed since our original previews. }

Preview I here.

#AL – Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions

Original selections: Eddie Collins, Tim Raines, Larry Gardner.

After struggling briefly on his return from the DL, Chicago’s Collins has resumed being the class of the second basemen in the league with a 309/431/517 slash line. He’s the clear starter.

But after that, it gets awfully muddled. Purely by OPS, you would go with Kansas City’s Rogers Hornsby (309/390/500) and Baltimore’s Gardner (288/419/464).

But Ottawa’s Raines certainly deserves strong consideration (and he may be Ottawa’s only representative in the midseason classic). Raines’ OPS is a shade worse at 282/365/445, but he leads the group with 7 homeruns and 38 runs scored, and is way ahead with 38 steals, putting him behind only Collins in WAR (2.5 to 1.8). Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich is also at a 1.8 WAR, slashing 300/374/485.

Grich sits just behind Collins and the New York Gothams’ Cookie Rojas in the defensive rankings. (Houston’s HR Johnson–who has hit well enough to be in the conversation–has been among the worst defensive 2B in the league, moving him clearly out of contention at this point.)

So, what to do …

This is a position I expect to change a little as the month plays out, but right now, I would go with Raines and Gardner behind Collins. But I could also be convinced to carry four to include Hornsby. And, if Baltimore drops off as a team, that probably weakens Gardner’s argument as well.

Somewhat inexplicably, the AI goes with Collins, Johnson, and Raines.

#NL – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

Original selections: Chase Utley, Jimmy Bloodworth, Tom Herr.

Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson presents a bit of a conundrum, having split his time almost equally between 1B and 2B. He clearly hasn’t hit well enough to make it as a 1B, but his 291/350/511 is pretty spectacular for a middle infielder. For now, I’m going to punt on him though, and perhaps add a utility category for each league in the final selections.

The feel-good story of the season so far, Birmingham’s Herr, is not only still performing at an all-star level, he’s likely the starter right now, hitting 338/381/455. It doesn’t seem sustainable, but it didn’t at the last update either.

San Francisco’s Bloodworth sits just behind him in OPS at 288/328/488 with 9 homeruns and 25 RBIs. Utley has been in a slump, but he remains the only other candidate with an OPS over .800, and at 263/335/481 still would make it, although a surge by Homestead’s Davey Johnson or Indianapolis’ Joe Morgan could remove him.

Utley and Bloodworth have been the best defensive 2B so far, which helps them here as well.

So I would stick with the same three, just in a different order. The AI selects only Herr, which is amusing.

Series VIII Featured Game: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Houston Colt 45’s, Game 4

These are, simply, fair-to-middling teams with more promise than performance so far on the season. Houston has won the first three games of the series, raising their record to 15-18 while lowering Brooklyn‘s to 18-14.

The final game would see Brooklyn’s Don Sutton face the Colt 45’s Roy Oswalt, a well anticipated matchup as both hurlers have shown flashes of strong performances.

In the top of the first, Oswalt gave up a 1-out double to Beals Becker, but he struck out Duke Snider and seemed to be out of danger when Roy White lashed the first pitch he saw into right field for an RBI single, giving the Royal Giants an early 1-0 lead.

Houston would tie it up in the bottom of the frame when Casey Stengel sent a pitch from Sutton deep into the night for a solo homerun.

Oswalt struggled all day, never really finding his rhythm, giving up 2 more runs in the top of the second on RBI hits from Jackie Robinson and Becker, and then another in the top of the third on a double from Robinson. He would get through 5 innings, leaving the game with Houston down 4-2 (they scored their second run in the bottom of the 5th on an RBI groundout from DJ LeMahieu, scoring Carlos Correa who had led off the inning with a double down the left field line).

Houston would tie it up in the bottom of the 6th on doubles from Jimmie Wynn, Jeff Bagwell, and Lance Berkman. Despite the 4 runs, Sutton was actually in control for most of the game, and lasted 8 innings, allowing only 6 hits and 1 walk.

Houston’s Leon Day followed Oswalt with 2 scoreless innings, and he was followed by Trevor Hoffman, who pitched a scoreless 8th.

That brought us to the top of the 9th, with Hoffman still on the mound. Dickie Thon led it off with a single, then stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Robinson. Becker hit a ball deep enough to centerfield to score Thon, and Brooklyn had a 5-4 lead. Hoffman served a gopher ball into the short left field seats to Snider, giving the Royal Giants a 2-run cushion.

Brooklyn’s closer, Watty Clark, relieved Sutton in the bottom of the 9th. His first 16 pitches included 11 balls and a wild pitch, with George Brett and Correa starting the inning with walks before Jorge Posada doubled them both home to tie the game at 6. That was enough for Clark, who was relieved by Terry Forster … who had similar problems, walking pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt on five pitches (HR Johnson replaced Posada as a pinch-runner) and Tony Gwynn on four to load the bases. Forster got Wynn to ground weakly to Robinson at second, who threw to Mike Piazza to force Johnson at the plate, and when Stengel flew out in shallow right field, it looked like extra innings were likely.

Bagwell worked Forster from a 1-2 count to 3-2 … and looked on as his next pitch was low and outside, forcing in the winning run.

Bagwell finished the game 2-for-4 with a run and 2 RBIs, Correa scored twice and Posada drove in 2 as well as the Colt 45’s left only 3 runners on base all day.

Brooklyn outhit Houston 11 to 7, with Robinson, Becker, White, and Thon each having 2. Thon scored three times and Robinson and Becker drove in 2 each.

Clark suffered both his 2nd blown save of the year and his first loss, giving up 3 runs on a hit and 2 walks without recording an out. Mark Melancon picked up the win for one-third of an inning in relief of Hoffman.

BRK 6 (Clark 2-1, 2 BS) @ HOU 7 (Melancon 2-1)
HRs: BRK – Snider (8); HOU – Stengel (4)
Box Score

TWIWBL 6.4: Series V Notes – Marvin Miller Division

#Birmingham Black Barons

John Clarkson fell to 1-2 with a miserable outing against the Cleveland Spiders, giving up 7 earned runs in under 3 IP and sending his ERA to 12.74. Jim Whitney was ineffective in relief, and Dick Rudolph‘s 2.2 scoreless IP may have been enough to slide him into the rotation. With only three rotation spots settled, look for those three, Greg Maddux, and Sam Streeter to get opportunities starting for Birmingham.

OF Al Schweitzer, who had a solid start to the season slashing 267/389/422 will be out over a month with a hamstring strain, with Curtis Granderson being promoted to Birmingham to take his roster spot.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Jackie Robinson‘s first HR of the year was a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 7th against Indianapolis, providing the winning margin in a 3-1 victory for the Royal Giants.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Rube Waddell, Eustaquio Pedroso, Ed Bauta, and Aroldis Chapman combined for a 6-hit shutout of the Baltimore Black Sox, with Waddell moving to 1-1 on the year with the 4-0 Cuban Giants victory.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Gil Hodges became the first player in the WBL to swat 3 HRs in a single game, sending 3 balls out of the park against Philadelphia‘s Pete Alexander in a 7-4 win for the Sea Dogs.

Walter Johnson threw 8 strong innings to become the league’s first four game winner, leading the Sea Dogs over Philadelphia 4-1.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Wally Moon may have defined Moonshot, sending a pitch from Kansas City‘s Luke Hamlin 502 feet into the night, helping San Francisco eke out a 7-6 victory.

Capping a 3-for-4 day, Reggie Jackson tagged Kansas City’s Frank DiPino with his first earned runs of the year with a 2-out, 2-run HR, 9th inning HR to give the Sea Lions a 3-2 lead. Rick Langford debuted with three innings of scoreless relief for the victory, and Rod Beck pitched a perfect bottom of the 9th for his 6th save of the season.

Getting to 30: Marvin Miller Division

#Birmingham Black Barons

Alejandro Pena, Fred Fussell, and Scott Baker have rotation slots nailed down, and Greg Maddux and Vic Willis were sent to AAA. The rest is a muddle with John Clarkson, Jim Whitney, Sam Streeter, Warren Spahn, and Dick Rudolph vying for 3, maybe 4, slots.

Carlos Diaz has struggled as the closer, but he’s still there, with Harley Young and Hoyt Wilhelm working behind him.

Omar Infante has impressed enough to stick around, especially given his defensive versatility. Bob Nieman‘s inability to hit opens up some possibilities for him in LF, and given how little either Troy Tulowitzki or Herman Long have hit, he may see some more time at SS as well.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Smokey Joe Williams, Frank Knauss, and Dick Redding are fighting over the final 2 rotation spots. As a 19 year old, it may make sense for Redding to get some more work at AAA in before a longer stint in the bigs.

The rest of the pen looks set, with the quartet of Terry Forster, Trevor Hildenberger, and Eric Gagne setting up Watty Clark looking to be one of the best in the league.

Despite Pee Wee Reese‘s struggles, he stays as Tommy Corcoran‘s backup at SS. Davey Lopes has burst onto the scene, to the point that Hobe Ferris–the presumptive starter–will head to AAA (while note great defensively, Jackie Robinson, Todd Walker, and Corcoran can all spell Lopes as needed).

Neither John Briggs nor Duke Snider have impressed, but Briggs was worse, and heads to the minors. What’s not clear is if Snider starts the year at CF, or if newcomer Raul Mondesi forces himself into the picture.

#Miami Cuban Giants

With Alex Colome and Dalier Hinojosa sent to AAA, the pitching staff is coming into focus. The remaining competition is between Dontrelle Willis, Don Newcombe, Tommy Bridges, and Jose Mendez for the final starting role and 2 bullpen slots. Mendez is a long shot at this point.

Perhaps as expected, Willie Kamm has cooled off dramatically, moving Manny Machado back into the starting position at 3B. His performance does, however, keep him in camp at the expense of Gary Sheffield, who was quite a disappointment all Spring.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Dizzy Trout has seized the #4 starter slot, leaving the final 3 slots up for grabs. This is all a little controversial, as others have pitched better than Walter Johnson, but the Sea Dogs remain convinced of the 19 year old’s potential, despite a growing sense from fans that he would be better served by starting the year in AAA. Still, the staff have the final say, leaving Ray Fontenot, Bert Blyleven, Mike Cuellar, and Wade Miller in competition, with Pascual Perez and Atlee Hammaker already moved down to the minors.

The good news is the back end of the bullpen is set, with the trio of Elmer Brown, Jim Kern, and Johan Santana looking almost unhittable.

Don Baylor and Kirby Puckett‘s demotions surprised some, but quite a few of Portland’s OFers hit well during the Spring, leaving those 2 out in the cold. On the infield, too many people hit well to make the choices easy. Greg Litton came to camp late, but has hit well and, more importantly, provides some needed defensive flexibility. The choice ended up being unorthodox, as with Marty Cordova being sent to AAA, they lack a true LF on the roster, relying on Kiki Cuyler, Harry Hooper and, yes, Litton there.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

The pitching staff has gotten some astounding performances, led by Cy Falkenberg, James Shields, and Dennis Eckersley. That leaves Eddie Plank, Jim Devlin, Carlos Carrasco, Charlie Root, and Lefty Grove in contention for 2 starting spots and 2 bullpen roles. Grove has struggled with his control, Devlin has been hit pretty hard, and Plank–despite the best WHIP of the bunch–has an ERA over 7.

That’s really all that is up for grabs as the back end of the bullpen, anchored by Rod Beck and Chad Bradford, looks pretty solid.

The position cuts were all a bit surprising: Mark McGwire couldn’t move through the logjam at 1B, Bert Campenaris couldn’t hit enough to warrant keeping his defensive versatility, and Pedro Guerrero was at the bottom of the OF list. The biggest shock was the failure of highly touted 20 year old Jimmie Foxx to earn a roster spot, although he’s expected to return in pretty short order.

Spring Training Preview: Brooklyn

  • The back end of the rotation is up for grabs, with Frank Knauss and Fernando Valenzuela having the inside track on the #3 and #4 spots, with 1 out of Don Sutton, Jordan Zimmerman, and Smokey Joe Williams likely to hold the final slot.
    • Only Dutch Leonard and perhaps Orel Hershiser have been solid as SP, with Knauss and Valenzuela being downright horrible. It’s early, but look for Sutton, Dick Redding, and Brickyard Kennedy to get looks as well.
      • Four slots are set, with Sutton, Don Drysdale, Leonard, and Hershiser earning starting slots. Kennedy, Redding, and Williams are vying for the last spot, with Valenzuela heading to AAA.
  • Dave Von Ohlen, Trevor Hildenberger, Darren Dreifort, and Terry Forster are battling for the middle of the bullpen.
    • The bullpen has been very strong through 10 games, with only Watty Clark‘s role as closer settled.
  • There’s no question Jackie Robinson can contribute, the question is at what position. 1B is blocked by Dan Brouthers, leaving the challenge of Hobe Ferris at 2B.
    • Robinson has performed well, for sure. Davey Lopes, called up when Sandy Koufax went down injured, hasn’t done much to change the situation at 2B, where Ferris’ glove still probably gives him the edge.
      • Lopes–and Tommy Corcoran–have hit better than any other middle infielders, so it’s pretty unsettled up the middle, especially since neither Dickie Thon nor Pee Wee Reese have been able to crack the Mendoza line..
  • It’s possible that 1 of Michael Brantley, Matt Holliday, Jeffrey Leonard, Curt Flood, and Art Griggs forces their way onto the roster.
    • Flood, Brantley, Hi Myers, and Griggs have been totally overmatched in the early going, with Holliday and the surprising Jermaine Dye moving up the roster.
      • Griggs, Flood, Myers, and Brantley have all headed down to AAA (along with C Hank Gowdy). Todd Walker, Morrie Arnovich, and Raul Mondesi have been recalled for some OF flexibility.
Near DefiniteLikelyPossibleLong Shot
Starting Pitchers
Dutch Leonard
Orel Hershiser
Don Sutton
Don Drysedale
Dick Redding
Smokey Joe Williams
Brickyard Kennedy
Sandy Koufax
Frank Knauss
Jordan Zimmerman
Middle RelieversDave Von Ohlen
Darren Dreifort
Kyle McPherson
SetupErig Gagne
Trevor Hildenberger
Terry Forster
CloserWatty Clark
CMike PiazzaSteve Yeager
Duke Farrell
1BDan BrouthersJackie RobinsonTodd Walker
2BHobe FerrisDavey Lopes
3BRon CeyJim Delahanty
SSDickie Thon
Pee Wee Reese
Tommy Corcoran
OFRoy White
Duke Snider
Matt Holliday
Jermaine Dye
John Briggs
Beals Becker
Jeffrey Leonard
Morrie Arnovich
Raul Mondesi
Smokey Joe Williams of the Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn Atlantics (and others) / Brooklyn Dodgers / Los Angeles Dodgers

AAA – Queens Kings
AA – Jersey City Skeeters
A – Albany Diamond Dogs

Effa Manley Division

WBL | Home PageRoster | Leaders | News | Transactions

Here, they never left … the long arm of Smokey Joe Williams gets the banner, despite the obvious presence of Jackie Robinson.

Ebbets Field (42,000)
HR: 1.094 | BA: .998
Shea Stadium (37,405)
HR: 1.000 | BA: .989
Roosevelt Stadium (24,000)
HR: .769| BA: 1.069
Coca Cola Park (16,907)
HR: .994 | BA: .966

2000: 3rd place, .500.

2001 Projections

As of the end of Spring Training.

CMike Piazza
Dick Bertell
Al López
Duke Farrell
Al Todd
Jim French
Gilly Campbell
Jack O’Connor
Jeff Torborg
Gary Bennett
1BJackie RobinsonDan Brouthers
Jim Gentile
Norm Laker
Eric Karros
Justin Smoak
Joe Lis
Tommy Everidge
Steve Balboni
2BFrank IsbellDavey Lopes
Todd Walker
Julio Franco
Don Heffner
Ed Delahanty
Tim Foli
Marco Hernández
Ed Romero
SSRay Dandridge
Germany Smith
Dickie ThonCésar Izturis
Sonny Jackson
Mike Benjamin
Eddie Moore
3BRon CeyJim Delahanty
Casey McGehee
Hank Majeski
Matt DOminguez
Ken McMullen
Tom O’Malley
OFRoy White
Pedro Guerrero
John Briggs
Duke Snider
Beals Becker

Art Griggs
Morrie Arnovich
Matty Alou
Jermaine Dye
Ron Fairly

Buddy Hassett
Ty Cline
Raúl Mondesi
George Selkirk
Terry Moore
Chicken Wolf

Jeffrey Leonard
Charlie See
Don Mueller
Jim Jones
Al Simmons
jimmy johnston
Jay Johnstone

Elston Howard
Gabe Gross
SPDon Drysdale
Frank Knauss
Joe Williams
Sandy Koufax
Orel Hershiser
Dick Redding
Tom Sullivan
doc newton
Dutch Leonard
Ralph Branca
Josh Outman
Dustin McGowan
Tim Stauffer
Lew Krausse, Jr
Corky Valentine
Joe Neale
walker buehler
Ryan Rupe
dazzy vance
vic lombardi
Marty McHale
RPGreg Gagne
Dave Von Ohlen
Darren Dreifort
Juan Mateo
Terry Forster
Trevor Hildenberger
Ted Blankenship
Jim Bunning
Jordan Zimmerman
John Denny
Jack Killilay
Zach Britton
Jeff Montgomery
Ron Perranoski
Red Evans
Jim Tobin
James Baldwin
Jesús Colomé
Lou Marone
Ángel Guzmán
Robbie Ross
Tommy Hanson
Lefty Thomas
Chris Short
UPFernando Valenzuela
Burleigh Grimes
Rick Aguilera
Alex Kellner
Frank Miller
Bobby Shantz
Nap Rucker
Burt Hooton
Tom Phoebus
Hugh Mulcahy
Art Johnson
odalis pérez
billy scanlan
Hilly Flitcraft
victor gonzález
Marty Kutyna
Dave Geisel
Justin Wilson
5+ Year Contracts; 2-4 year contracts; future rights; Injured

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