With no regard for defense, here are the best hitters at each position.
#C
Catching is hard. Only 5 full-time catchers qualified (plus Houston’s Craig Biggio, who only played a couple hundred innings behind the plate). And while Thurman Munson and Buster Posey had fantastic seasons, with OPS’ over .850, the top three are obvious
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
RC/27
Johnny Bench
IND
31
2
32
82
90
287
385
566
0
8.0
Curt Blefary
BAL
23
3
29
84
90
280
392
549
3
8.1
Elrod Hendricks
HOD
27
1
41
79
94
283
342
619
1
7.7
Blefary is clearly third best. Imma go with Bench here as the more dangerous offensive force despite Hendricks‘ edge in homeruns.
#1B
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
RC/27
Mike Epstein
HOM
22
0
24
80
79
316
420
528
0
8.8
Hank Greenberg
DET
45
4
31
93
113
317
374
595
1
8.3
Kent Hrbek
POR
36
0
36
91
106
297
365
556
0
7.5
You could spend a lot of time arguing about Epstein and Hrbek, but it wouldn’t change the fact that Greenberg was the best.
#2B
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
RC/27
Eddie Collins
CAG
28
4
20
106
70
315
409
513
61
8.6
Larry Gardner
BAL
26
5
12
84
72
318
393
471
16
6.8
Bobby Grich
LAA
42
5
12
77
76
288
378
476
12
6.7
Rogers Hornsby
KCM/POR
35
3
19
75
88
294
365
487
2
6.4
There is so little to separate Gardner, Grich, and Hornsby that I had to list all three of them. But they are all far, far behind the force of nature that is Eddie Collins.
#3B
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
WAR
Dick Allen
CAG
30
10
26
86
109
311
383
559
5
7.9
Bob Bailey
DET
22
3
21
76
70
277
364
462
5
6.1
Doug Rader
LAA
43
7
18
85
134
330
391
529
0
7.8
I like RBI’s too. Really, I do. And BA. But I’ll take Dick Allen over Doug Rader every day. I hadn’t realized how thin the pickings got at 3B after those two.
#SS
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
RC/27
Jim Fregosi
POR
32
3
17
78
61
300
373
472
16
6.1
Bobby Wallace
BAL
40
4
5
99
60
302
396
418
18
6.1
Robin Yount
MCG
30
5
14
24
68
276
314
454
16
5.0
The choice between Wallace and Fregosi is close, but Fregosi is slightly the better offensive player, even if Wallace is the better shortstop if you add defense into the equation.
#OF
The outfielders include all fulltime players with an OPS over .900 or with a runs created per 27 outs over 7.0.
#LF
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
RC/27
Rick Reichardt
HOM
23
8
27
83
98
301
378
531
1
7.2
Frank Robinson
BAL
17
2
37
101
111
302
383
539
2
7.3
Babe Ruth
NYY
35
3
48
127
136
312
427
663
14
10.8
The easiest choice of all …
#CF
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
RC/27
Pete Browning
HOD
34
4
26
82
82
331
370
591
38
8.4
Bobby Murcer
POR
29
8
24
95
87
314
388
542
11
8.2
Willie Mays
NYG
30
5
24
99
97
322
384
516
11
7.1
Reggie Smith
MEM
39
5
22
100
72
304
381
522
20
6.8
Mike Trout
LAA
27
6
21
102
100
321
390
498
37
7.7
Browning‘s year has to be discounted from the amount of time he missed, which really leaves this to Bobby Murcer.
#RF
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
RC/27
Ron Blomberg
CLE
39
0
44
110
127
336
412
649
0
10.2
Ty Cobb
DET
41
4
21
92
89
352
391
557
52
8.7
Joe Jackson
CAG
33
3
31
109
102
330
412
588
34
9.5
Reggie Jackson
SFS
29
1
30
75
105
317
424
589
23
8.4
Mickey Mantle
NYY
34
2
27
101
85
319
420
552
3
9.1
Stan Musial
KCM
49
4
25
94
98
329
395
577
6
8.4
The quality in RF rolls deep … Ron Blomberg takes this, with Joe Jackson very close behind. The deepest position in the league.
#DH
Name
Tm
2B
3B
HR
R
RBI
BA
OBP
SLG
SB
RC/27
Gavvy Cravath
PHI/POR
36
3
27
86
85
310
385
560
5
7.9
Lou Gehrig
NYY
25
4
27
74
79
275
379
526
3
7.1
Frank Thomas
CAG
33
3
25
93
105
297
405
505
3
7.4
Gavvy Cravath spent a lot of time in RF, both with Philadelphia and Portland, but we’re still going to count him here, where he edges out both Thomas, who slumped late in the season, and Gehrig, who got red-hot as the Black Yankees failed in their attempt to make the playoffs.
#The Silver Sticks
C: Johnny Bench (IND) 1B: Hank Greenberg (DET) 2B: Eddie Collins (CAG) 3B: Dick Allen (CAG) SS: Jim Fregosi (POR) LF: Babe Ruth (NYY) CF: Bobby Murcer (POR) RF: Ron Blomberg (CLE) DH: Gavvy Cravath (PHI/POR)
Only one division has been won–the surprise Cleveland Spiders win the Effa Manley Division–but only one postseason spot remains undecided.
That comes down to the Cinderella Birmingham Black Barons and the disappointing New York Black Yankees. Birmingham’s magic number is 3–meaning any combination of 3 wins by the Black Barons or losses by the Black Yankees will seal their improbable run to the playoffs.
The exact order of finish is up in the air, but here are your nine playoff contenders (numbers in bold & italics are that team’s magic number):
Team
Pct
Division
Notes
Baltimore Black Sox
.587
Cum Posey
Clinched playoff; 2
Detroit Wolverines
.567
Bill James
Clinched playoff; 4
Chicago American Giants
.567
Cum Posey
Clinched playoff
Cleveland Spiders
.560
Effa Manley
Clinched division
New York Gothams
.560
Bill James
Clinched playoff
Portland Sea Dogs
.553
Marvin Miller
Clinched playoff; 3
Wandering House of David
.553
Bill James
1 to clinch playoff
Birmingham Black Barons
.540
Marvin Miller
3 to clinch playoff
New York Black Yankees
.527
Effa Manley
The Black Yankees visit Cleveland to end the season. The Spiders will be focused on getting their roster ready for the post season, so that may open the door for New York. But Birmingham hosts the worst team in the WBL, the Philadelphia Stars, so it seems like that would make them the safe bet to progress.
Four more games, so these are very close to final numbers.
Batters
With the Black Yankees possibly missing the playoffs, the noise for Ron Blomberg‘s MVP campaign just gets louder.
Remember when it looked like Pete Browning would swoop in from injury and win the batting crown? Yeah, Ty Cobb had something to say about that.
Omitted below are Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays and Alejandro Oms of the Miami Cuban Giants (tied for 2nd in the league in triples with 12) and Tim Raines of the Ottawa Mounties (2nd in steals with 91).
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 337/412/648. 43 HR, 107 R. Ty Cobb (DET). 349/389/558. 187 H. Eddie Collins (CAG). 312/408/512. 6.4 WAR. Mike Fiore (CAG). 240/405/390. 109 BB. Hank Greenberg (DET). 317/374/591. 45 2B. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 269/394/357. 95 SB. Joe Jackson (CAG). 330/412/579. 107 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 319/426/591. Willie Mays (NYG). 326/389/523. 183 H. Stan Musial (KCM). 328/393/574. 49 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 336/395/539. 183 H, 133 RBI. Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/428/658. 46 HR, 132 RBI, 122 R, 106 BB, 7.8 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 299/329/457. 14 3B.
Some milestones possible in the final series:
Musial needs one double to reach 50; Elrod Hendricks (HOD) needs two homeruns to join Ruth and Blomberg in the 40+ club; Rick Reichardt and Mike Trout (Homestead and the Los Angeles Angels, respectively) sit at 98 RBIs; six players have between 96 and 99 runs scored; and Frank Thomas (CAG) needs one walk to reach triple digits.
Pitchers
Starters
It’s unclear if Cleveland’s Pat Malone or the Gothams’ Christy Mathewson will get another start in the regular season: if they do, they’ll be aiming to become the WBL’s first 18 game winners.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 16-9, 4.33. Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 199 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-12, 4.35. 188 K. Pat Malone (CLE). 17-8, 3.84. 5.0 WAR. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 17-8, 3.51. 205 IP. Stubby Overmire (HOU/MEM). 9-7, 3.31. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 12-9, 3.86. 3.52 FIP. Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 15-5, 3.20. Eddie Plank (SFS). 12-7, 3.87. 3.47 FIP. Charlie Root (SFS/DET). 10-6, 3.53. 1.06 WHIP. Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.38. 1.14 WHIP. Cy Young (CLE). 11-10, 4.36. 204 IP, 5.0 WAR.
Overmire needs a few more innings to finish the year qualifying for the ERA title. Cleveland’s Stan Coveleski and Detroit’s Hal Newhouser are the other starters with ERAs under 4.00 who could qualify with 1 more start, although in Newhouser’s case, it would take a complete game. Detroit’s Gene Conley (3.28) and Cleveland’s Bill Steen (a potentially league-leading 2.93) will miss the cutoff, although each are likely to see starts in the postseason.
Relievers
Check out the trio from the New York Gothams bullpen.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.76. 36 Sv, 1 H. Clay Carroll (IND). 2-6, 4.14. 3 Sv, 11 H. 64 G. Mike Henneman (DET). 2-7, 4.70. 37 Sv. Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 2 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.72. 29 Sv. 2.90 FIP. Buddy Napier (DET). 101, 2.75. 2 Sv, 8 H, 0.97 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-4, 1.52. 8 Sv, 15 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.56. 3 Sv, 17 H. 64 G. Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.77. 1 Sv, 10 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.96. 29 Sv, 1 H. 2.63 FIP.
Streaks
Not a lot going on here, other than Mike Trout‘s 33 game streak of reaching base.
Three consecutive losses leave the Cleveland Spiders clinging to a 1 game edge over the Black Yankees in the Effa Manley Division. This race is key as, right now, the Black Yankees would miss the postseason, trailing Portland for the final wild card slot by 2 games.
The Cum Posey and Marvin Miller Divisions remain unchanged, with Baltimore leading the American Giants by 4 games in the former and Birmingham clingnig to a 1/2 game lead over Portland in the latter.
Really, that’s it: Houston, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis are all between 5 and 10 games out of the wild card race, so technically we’re saying there’s a chance …
Performance
Batters
The MVP race really is between Babe Ruth, Ron Blomberg, and Doug Rader with Ruth having a clear edge.
Dick Allen (CAG). 302/373/533/ 10 3B. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 340/408/645. 158 H, 36 HR. George Brett (HOU). 273/304/407. 10 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 343/389/548. Eric Davis (NYY). 274/350/520. 5.4 WAR. Mike Fiore (CAG). 234/400/382. 98 BB. Bobby Grich (LAA). 292/381/483. 41 2B. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 272/402/363. 84 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 309/382/602. 36 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 336/422/592. 97 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 318/438/592. Stan Musial (KCM). 327/392/579. 41 2B. Alejandro Oms (MCG). 258/309/402. 10 3B. Doug Rader (LAA). 339/398/554. 161 H, 119 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 289/365/432. 81 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 316/433/661. 39 HR, 11o RBI, 104 R, 94 BB, 6.7 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 304/334/462. 12 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
All 4 14 game winners are included.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-7, 3.77. 1.20 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 12-7, 3.61. 178 Ks. Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-10, 4.67. 162 Ks. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 15-7, 3.61. Dennis Martínez (BAL). 14-7, 3.64. Tricky Nichols (CAG). 14-7, 3.68. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 10-8, 3.71. 4.5 WAR, 3.42 FIP. Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 14-4, 3.14. Eddie Plank (SFS). 10-5, 3.95. 1 Sv, 4.0 WAR, 3.30 FIP. Jack Taylor (HOD). 14-8, 2.99. 1.13 WHIP.
Relievers
35 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.12. 29 Sv, 1H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-5, 4.74. 33 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-4, 2.39. 4 Sv, 4 H. 0.98 WHIP. * Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.40. 5 Sv, 13 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.40. 3 Sv, 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-4, 3.86. 1 Sv, 16 H. Ed Walsh (CAG). 8-6, 2.82. 5 H, 2.98 FIP. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.00. 24 Sv, 1 H, 2.58 FIP.
* Currently injured.
Streaks
In terms of active streaks, Bobby Bonds (San Francisco) has hit in 20 consecutive games; Homestead‘s Rick Reichardt has homered in 5 consecutive (tying him for the WBL record); and Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich has reached base in 32 straight.
Kansas City‘s Boog Powell‘s consecutive streak of reaching base ended after an impressive 52 games.
Series Results
Series Sweeps in Series XXXII
New York Gothams over Indianapolis
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXXII
Baltimore over Cleveland Chicago over Birmingham Brooklyn over Homestead New York Black Yankees over Detroit Los Angeles over Miami Cuban Giants House of David over Portland
This series we have a few more well-pitched games than usual, a contest between 2 imploding bullpens, and a few walk-offs.
Indianapolis ABCs @ New York Gothams, Game 2
The ABC’s were held scoreless by the Gothams for 14 innings, with Christy Mathewson combining with 3 relievers on a 10-hit shutout in Game 1 and Gaylord Perry holding Indianapolis scoreless through 5 innings in Game 2.
The ABC’s starter, Willie Mitchell, gave up 4 runs in the 1st, including a 2 run homerun by Willie Mays, but he settled down well from there. Indianapolis finally scored in the top of the 6th on a 3 run shot from Jake Stenzel. Another New York run made it 5-3 heading into the 9th when Dave Henderson and Edd Roush delivered RBI hits to tie the game.
But Indianapolis’ Francisco Cordero couldn’t hold on, surrendering a double to the red hot Pete Runnels and a walk-off single to Buster Posey.
IND 5 (Cordero 0-2) @ NYG 6 (Nen 3-4, 2 B Sv; Gregg 1 H) HRs: IND – Stenzel (10); NYG – Mays (21). Box Score
Detroit Wolverines @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2
This is a key series, as the Black Yankees try to make a late season pennant charge.
New York’s bullpen collapsing is old news; Detroit’s imploding is not.
Both starters–New York’s Waite Hoyt and Detroit’s Hal Newhouser–did well enough. But the Black Yankees’ Dick Tidrow gave up RBI knocks to Hank Greenberg and Chili Davis in the 7th, putting the Wolverines up, 4-2. But Chad Bradford gave it right back as Tom Herr drove in 2 to tie the game.
The 8th inning was more of the same: Goose Gossage gave up an RBI to Ty Cobb to send Detroit in front, but Mickey Lolich and Matt Anderson gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the frame, the first on a solo shot from Mike Schmidt, the second on an RBI double from Manny Sanguillén.
And then we hit the one, and perhaps the most important, bright spot in the Black Yankees’ bullpen: recent acquisition Aroldis Chapman has been essentially lights out, and here, despite putting the tying run on base, he closed out the game for a victory for the Black Yankees.
Detroit lost Tony Phillips for a few days, and were forced to put him on the DL to keep some infield flexibility with Jimmy Collins being recalled from AAA.
DET 5 (Anderson 1-3; Bradford 1 B Sv) @ NYY 6 (Citarella 4-6; Chapman 6 Sv) HRs: DET – none; NYY – Schmidt (19). Box Score
Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Homestead Grays, Game 2 & 3
These two games followed similar arcs. Both featured a great 7 innings by Homestead’s starter (Francisco Liriano in the first game, Bob Friend in the second). In the first game, powered by a Josh Gibson homerun, the Grays took a 5-1 lead into the 9th inning; in the second, backed by a grand slam from Chief Wilson, the Grays led 6-1 heading into the 9th.
But, oh those 9th innings.
In game 1, Brooklyn torched Josh Lindblom for a 2-run double from Beals Becker and a 3-run homer from Matt Holliday (the first of his WBL career) to take a 6-5 lead. Homestead responded in this one, with Rick Reichardt sending a walkoff shot into the stands with Andy Van Slyke on base for the Grays to pull out a victory.
The second game was far weirder.
Carlos Zambrano got 2 quick outs to start the 9th and then … Holliday reached on an error by Homestead’s SS, Frank Taveras. Frank Isbell walked and Zambrano plunked Ray Dandridge to load the bases, bringing in Cliff Lee. Lee walked Becker to force in a run, then hit Duke Snider to force in another. Lee was replaced by Michael Jackson, who threw grease on the fire the old fashioned way, by giving up a bases-clearing double to Ron Cey. All told, and all with 2 outs, the Royal Giants scored 5 times on 1 hit, 3 walks, 2 HBPs, and an error.
Becker would single in the winning run in the top of the 10th.
Willie Stargell had 5 hits across the 2 games.
BRK 6 (Clark 3-4, 7 B Sv) @ HOM 7 (Jackson 3-2; Lindblom 5 B Sv) HRs: BRK – Holliday (1); HOM – Gibson (7), Reichardt (24). Box Score
BRK 7 (Gagne 5-5; Hildenberger 2 Sv) @ HOM 6 (Jackson 3-3, 3 B Sv) [10 Innings] HRs: BRK – none; HOM – Wilson (9), Reichardt (25). Box Score
Houston Colt 45’s @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 4
Memphis’ Dean Chance had a great start, allowing 1 run in just under 7 innings. But it was nothing like Toad Ramsey‘s effort for Houston. Ramsey had his knuckleball dancing, carrying a 2-hit shutout into the 9th inning, but Memphis managed to touch him for a game-tying run when Ted Williams doubled home Reggie Smith with 2 outs.
Ramsey allowed the 1 run on 3 hits through 9 innings, but wasn’t part of the decision. Four hits in the 11th gave Houston a 4-1 lead, and Tug McGraw–who is still sporting an ERA of 0.00 in his WBL career–closed it out. Craig Biggio had 3 hits and Jeff Bagwell and Tony Gwynn 2 each for Houston.
This time, we have two see-saw games and two series that deserve a little focus.
Let’s do the one-offs first.
#Homestead Grays @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 1
This one got wild. Ottawa took the lead on Larry Walker‘s 18th homerun of the year, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the first. Hits from Davey Johnson and Roberto Clemente got a run back for Homestead, but Ottawa scored 2 on a single from Roberto Alomar to increase their lead to 4-1. Homestead’s Rick Reichardt sent a pitch from Clayton Richard into the stands to tie the game in the top of the 3rd, so, we’re back to all square at 4-4.
The game continued to swing back and forth: a sacrifice fly from Johnson offset a solo shot from Roy Sievers, but an RBI double from Andy Van Slyke put Homestead back on top momentarily: a 2-run double from Sievers and a single from Bernie Allen gave Ottawa a 2-run lead, 8-6.
And then the 9th. Ted Bowsfield started the inning for Ottawa, walking Mike Epstein and giving up a single to Van Slyke. Bowsfield grabbed his elbow after the hit, and the Mounties brought in their closer, Ryan Dempster. Dempster retired 2 and walked one, loading the bases with Johnson at the plate. He singled to right, driving in 2. Perhaps more importantly for Ottawa, their star RF, Walker, was forced out of the game after the throw. But, the game was tied.
Tied, that is, until a single from Rusty Staub scored Carlos Beltrán to give the Mounties a walk off victory.
Nobody pitched particularly well, but Ottawa’s Monk Dubiel and Dempster did manage to escape without being scored on.
Both Bowsfield and Walker were sent to the DL after the game, with Chris Leroux and Sam Thompson being recalled from AAA.
HOM 8 (Ownbey 1-3; Brown 1 B Sv) @ OTT 9 (Dempster 4-1, 2 B Sv; Bowsfield 7 H) HRs: HOM – Reichardt (21); OTT – Walker (18), Sievers (7). Box Score
#San Francisco Sea Lions @ Detroit Wolverines, Game 2
This one had everything except good pitching (Mickey Lolich‘s 2 innings of clean relief for Detroit notwithstanding).
San Francisco kicked off the game with a bang: a leadoff homerun from Rickey Henderson, a 2 run shot from Reggie Jackson, and an RBI groundout from Phil Garner made it 4-0 Sea Lions before Diego Seguí threw his first pitch.
But the Bailey Boys got to him the following inning: Ed Bailey launched a 3 run shot and Bob Bailey added an RBI groundout to score Sparky Adams, who had doubled, tying the game at 4. Momentarily: Garner went deep and another run scored on a Sal Bando single, putting San Francisco back on top, 7-4. A solo shot from Hank Greenberg clawed one back, but a 2-run single from San Francisco’s Pedro Guerrero made it 9-5 heading into the 6th, when Detroit chased Seguí and hammered his replacement, James Shields, who only lasted 4 batters. Al Kaline singled home one run and Tony Phillips brought in another with a double. By the time it was all done, San Francisco’s lead was slashed to a single run, 9-8. Kaline would put the Wolverines in front with a 3-run shot in the 7th, and a Bob Bailey triple scored Phillips, who was hit by a pitch. Suddenly, Detroit was up, 12-9.
Their closer (and the WBL leader in saves), Mike Henneman, struggled in the 9th, facing 8 batters and giving up 2 runs (one on a solo shot by Jimmie Foxx, the other on a single by Guerrero). But he got Jack Clark to ground out with 2 batters on to preserve the victory.
SFS 11 (LaRoche 1-1, 1 B Sv; Hadley 2 H) @ DET 13 (Bradford 2-0) HRs: SFS – Jackson (25), Henderson (6), Foxx (2); DET – E. Bailey (6), Greenberg 2 (24), Kaline (5). Box Score
#Memphis Red Sox @ Miami Cuban Giants, Games 1 & 3
This series is a battle of basement teams, but that doesn’t keep the games from being entertaining.
The Red Sox scored 4 runs early with the RBIs coming on a sacrifice fly, a fielder’s choice, a bases-loaded walk, and an error by Miami’s shortstop, Robin Yount. Miami took a more conventional route back: a walk and 4 singles scored 3 runs in the 4th. But they followed Memphis’ lead to tie the game, as a sacrifice fly from José Cardenal plated Ryan Braun. The Cuban Giants then took the lead on a solo shot from their best player, José Canseco.
Wade Boggs finally brought home a conventional run for Memphis in the 8th with a single, but the Red Sox immediately reverted to form, with a bases-loaded walk and another sacrifice fly giving them a 7-5 lead. Three perfect relief innings from Turk Farrell, Heath Bell, and Jonathan Papelbon, closed the game out.
Ted Williams and Bill White finished the game with 3 hits each for Memphis; Cookie Rojas had 3 for Miami.
MEM 7 (Farrell 2-3; Papelbon 11 Sv; Bell 5 H; Callahan 4 B Sv) @ MCG 5 (Consuegra 0-4) HRs: MEM – none; MCG – Canseco (30). Box Score
In Game 3, Memphis was up 6-0, and then 8-5, powered by a grandslam from David Justice and 2 homers from Billy Bryan. It wasn’t enough: Minnie Miñoso broke out of his funk with 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Cookie Rojas, Gary Sheffield, and Chris Hoiles each drove in 2. As importantly for Miami, Eustaquio Pedroso, Sandy Consuegra, Ricky Nolasco, and Braden Looper combined for 4 innings of 1-hit relief of an ineffective Ramón Martínez.
New York Black Yankees @ Houston Colt 45’s, Games 2 and 4
In Game 2, Houston had a 6-3 lead heading to the 9th inning. The Colt 45’s got 2-run shots from Jim O’Rourke and Tony Gwynn and a solo dinger from Jorge Posada to take the lead.
The problem was their closer, Billy Wagner, was tired, leaving them turning to Brad Lidge, who had been solid since his recall, but here reverted to his old form: an RBI groundout from Tom Herr and a 3-run shot from Don Mattingly put the Black Yankees up 7-6.
Andrés Galarraga singled home a run in the bottom of the 9th, sending us to extra innings. Mattingly and Eric Davis homered in the 10th to put New York up 11-7, which seemed safe until you remembered the fragility of the Black Yankees’ bullpen. Here, Ralph Citarella and Rheal Cormier gave up RBI’s to Jim Wynn and Craig Biggio, but Cormier fanned Galarraga with the tying run on third base to close it out.
Game 4 of the series was a similar story: a Houston comeback that just fell short. Mattingly had 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Mike Schmidt hit his 17th homerun for the Black Yankees, who also got 3 brilliant innings from Goose Gossage. They did have to withstand a horrible outing from the heretofore solid Dick Tidrow, who surrendered 4 hits (2 to pinch hitters Jim O’Rourke and Harry Stovey) and 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning.
Andrés Galarraga had 4 hits and Casey Stengel and Jorge Posada had 3 each for Houston. Tug McGraw closed the game for the Colt 45’s, and has yet to surrender a run in his first 10 innings at the WBL level.
No real theme this time, just three close contests and checking in on the New York Black Yankees’ revamped bullpen.
Miami Cuban Giants @ New York Black Yankees, Game #2
Down 2-0 and 4-2, the New York Black Yankees scored the last 5 runs of the game in a 7-4 victory over Miami. Most importantly, the reconstructed New York bullpen provided 3.2 innings of scoreless, 2-hit relief to close out the game, with Aroldis Chapman picking up his 3rd save since being acquired. As is often the case, Miami was nearly totally reliant on José Canseco, who had 3 hits and 3 RBIs, including his 29th homerun of the year. Ryan Braun also had 3 hits for Miami.
MCG 4 (Pedroso 6-6; López 1 B Sv) @ NYY 7 (Burnett 3-2; Chapman 3 Sv; Cormier 1 H) HRs: MCG – Canseco (29); NYY – Mattingly (24). Box Score
Baltimore Black Sox @ Memphis Red Sox, Game #2
Baltimore held an early 4-2 lead, but Memphis exploded in the 5th inning, with Ted Williams‘ 3-run shot being the key hit. That put the Red Sox in front, 6-4.
It wouldn’t last very long: RBI hits from Bryce Harper and Manny Machado gave the lead back to the Black Sox, but another 3 run homerun, this one from Vern Stephens, put Memphis back ahead by 1 run at 9-8.
The Red Sox’s closer, Jonathan Papelbon, took the mound in the top of the 9th. He pitched decently, but a single by Paul Blair, an error by Memphis’3B, Wade Boggs, and a sacrifice fly from Larry Gardner tied the game. Papelbon and Baltimore’s Joe Beggs traded scoreless frames through the 11th, but in the 12th, Frank Robinson hit a long homerun off Bill Doak, his 29th of the season, to put the Black Sox ahead, 10-9.
Baltimore’s bullpen was pretty stretched, but Johnny Sain and Buddy Groom combined to successfully close out the game.
BAL 10 (Sain 9-7; Groom 2 Sv; Wetteland 1 B Sv) @ MEM 9 (Doak 1-3; Callahan 1 H; Bell 4 H; Wakefield 1 B Sv; Papelbon 3 B Sv) [12 Innings] HRs: BAL – Wallace (5), Robinson (29); MEM – Williams (23), Stephens (6). Box Score
Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Ottawa Mounties, Game #3
Pitching lines can be deceptive, right? Brooklyn’s Tommy Hanson looks to have been thoroughly average, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. But he turned in an solid start, fanning 9 but suffering from giving up 2 homeruns (to Carlos Beltrán and Gary Carter) and an ineffective outing from Dave Von Ohlen, who allowed both inherited runners to score.
Brooklyn used a 3 run shot from Ron Cey to keep the game tied at 5 after 7 innings, but were unable to manage anything late, as Monk Dubiel, Randy Johnson, and Ryan Dempster combined to allow only 1 hit over the final 3 innings.
Ottawa’s Larry Parrish hit a walkoff homerun to give the Mounties the victory.
BRK 5 (Gagne 4-5; Von Holen 4 H; Hildenberger 2 B Sv) @ OTT 6 (Dempster 3-1) HRs: BRK – Cey (18); OTT – Carter (15), Beltrán (8), Parrish (4). Box Score
Wandering House of David @ Homestead Grays, Game #4
Homestead got off to a great start as Mike Epstein hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first. But the House of David clawed back, scoring in 3 different innings to tie the game at 4. The Grays again responded with the long ball, with Davey Johnson hitting a 2-run homerun in the bottom of the frame, but again we were quickly tied with Ron Santo going deep in the 7th.
And there we stayed for 4 more innings, until the House of David’s Bruce Sutter–asked to stretch into a second inning–gave up a triple to Chief Wilson and a 2-run shot to Rick Reichardt for a walk-off victory for the Grays. Homestead’s duo of Cliff Lee and Dave Giusti combined for 4 innings of 2-hit relief.
The standout performance of the game–by far–came from the House of David’s Pete Browning, who had 5 hits in 6 at-bats, raising his average to .361 in the process. If he stays healthy, Browning should take over the WBL lead in batting within the month.
HOD 6 (Sutter 2-3) @ HOM 8 (Giusti 2-0; Zambrano 2 B Sv) [11 Innings] HRs: HOD – Santo (13); HOM – Epstein (20), Johnson (13), Reichardt (20). Box Score
A solid start from Pat Malone moved him into a tie for the league lead in victories as Cleveland downed Portland 6-4. Malone is now 13-5 on the year, which ties him for the WBL lead in wins.
#Homestead Grays
Rick Reichardt‘s 4 RBIs on 2 homeruns–his 18th and 19th of the year–weren’t enough as the Grays fell to the Black Barons 11-8.
#Philadelphia Stars
Pete Alexander‘s return lasted just under 4 innings. He was pitching OK, but strained an oblique, and will miss about a week. Alexander was placed on the DL, with Don Carman called up from AAA.
Jaret Wright was the hard-luck loser despite only giving up 4 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings in one of his better performances of his year against Houston. Wright fell to 3-8 in a game where Aaron Judge‘s first career homerun was the only tally the Stars could manage.
Mel Harder moves into the rotation, replacing the injured Whit Wyatt, a move which is sure to disappoint the fan base that was hoping for a major pitching acquisition at the deadline. They’ll have to be satisfied with the recall of Bob Feller, who is far, far too good for AAA, with Ken Schrom being returned.
The fan base may be appeased by the arrival of SS Arky Vaughan from Homestead, who may give the Spiders the best top-to-bottom lineup in the league. Vaughan’s arrival sent Bill Knickerbocker to AAA and moved Bill Dahlen to the role of defensive replacement.
Sudden Sam McDowell was returned to AAA as Yordano Ventura was recalled from a rehab assignment after missing a couple months through injury.
#Homestead Grays
John Candelaria and Ray Brown were recalled from AAA, with Candelaria sliding into the rotation. More dramatically, Arky Vaughan‘s departure means the team is committing to the idea that Honus Wagner can make the transition to SS, which also opens the door for Andy Van Slyke and Chief Wilson to see more time, given how well they have hit over recent weeks (Van Slyke is currently slashing 404/436/649, Wilson 392/395/747–clearly neither is sustainable).
Tom Brown was sent to AAA, as the Grays needed another SS (Jack Wilson).
Rick Reichardt had 2 homeruns and 5 RBIs in a topsy-turvey, 8-6 win over Indianapolis. Mike Epstein and Wagner also went deep in the contest.
#Indianapolis ABC’s
Doc Hoblitzell was returned to AAA with Virgil Trucks, Francisco Cordero, and Octavio Dotel heading up to AAA. The ABC’s have quite a few pitchers who have struggled in Indianapolis and dominated in Cincinnati, so we’ll see how that goes.
Oscar Charleston had 3 hits, 2 of which were triples, but the ABC’s were unable to hold on to several leads, losing 8-6 to Homestead.
#New York Black Yankees
Well, we’ll see. They certainly added some bullpen arms, whether it’s enough quality is yet to be determined. Lady Baldwin and Dave Righetti were returned to AAA, clearing the room for Aroldis Chapman (who slides directly into the closer slot), Dick Tidrow, and Rheal Cormier. Jamie Moyer slides into the back of the rotation.
Waite Hoyt broke out of a slump in a big way, with a complete game victory over the Gothams, allowing 4 hits and 1 run while striking out 3 and not walking a batter. Mickey Mantle and Eric Davis went deep for the Black Yankees as Hoyt improved to 9-6.
#Philadelphia Stars
As important as any trade, the Stars will get Pete Alexander back from injury at some point in the next week after a quick rehab assignment. In the meantime, Hardie Henderson was brought up to deepen the bullpen and Tim Belcher may get another start or two until Alexander returns.
Slugging OF Aaron Judge was recalled from AAA. Wayne Gomes was sent to AAA, with Alexander making his long awaited return.
While the rest of the league is buzzing with trade talk, let’s take a look at what the game tells us about flashing the leather. We’ll go by position, trying to get a sense of the best fielders in the league so far.
C (500 IP min)
Thurman Munson of the New York Black Yankees has over 150 more total chances than Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, having started 86 games behind the plate. That has to count for something. Of starting catchers, Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary leads in cERA with 4.08, and Cleveland‘s Louis Santop–yet to turn 20–leads the league in framing runs–1.2 ahead of Gibson. In terms of gunning down base runners, everyone is clustered around 33% or so–Emil Gross (Ottawa) was way up at 46%, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the league and Alan Ashby (Miami) has been excellent at 36% since taking over for Miami. Looking at all of that, it’s got to be Munson, Gibson, Blefary, or Santop, with apologies to Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench and the House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks.
IP
TC
E
RTO%
cERA
FRM
C. Blefary (BAL)
599
401
11
29.4
4.08
-1.2
J. Gibson (HOM)
718
559
14
27.2
5.77
1.5
T. Munson (NYY)
765
719
5
33.0
4.72
-1.3
L. Santop (CLE)
624
542
2
32.6
4.20
2.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %; cERA = Catching ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved
I think Santop takes it, but I would be OK if Munson’s higher usage swung it to him.
1B (600 IP min)
Philadelphia‘s Ted Kluszewski has the best fielding percentage (.996), having committed only 3 errors, but trails well behind Dan McGann (BAL)’s league leading 10.20 Range Factor. Will Clark of the Miami Cuban Giants leads in Zone Rating at 3.3. So McGann makes the most plays overall, but Clark makes the most plays that other 1B miss.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Will Clark (MCG)
791
818
5
.994
9.25
3.3
Ted Kluszewski (PHI)
676
711
3
.996
9.43
1.0
Dan McGann (BAL)
749
854
5
.994
10.20
2.5
Bill White (MEM)
788
814
4
.995
9.25
1.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
It comes down to whether you think McGann’s RNG is more a product of his glovework or the superior Black Sox pitching staff. For me, Clark making plays nobody else in the league makes takes it.
2B (600 IP min)
Cleveland‘s Chuck Knoblauch and San Francisco‘s Jimmy Bloodworth each sport a .993 Fielding Percentage with only 3 errors each. The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has, by a fair bit, played the most at 2B, making his leading the league in Range Factor more impressive. The New York Gotham‘s Cookie Rojas leads in ZR, trailed by Chicago‘s Eddie Collins. Those are the contenders.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS)
753
423
3
.993
5.02
3.7
Eddie Collins (CAG)
715
390
5
.987
4.85
5.5
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE)
801
426
3
.993
4.75
-1.8
Cookie Rojas (NYG)
703
369
3
.992
4.68
6.5
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
850
524
7
.987
5.48
0.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I can’t get away from Rojas. Behind him it’s rough: Collins makes some great plays, but Sandberg’s greater usage may give him the edge.
3B (600 IP min)
Mike Schmidt of the Black Yankees has the highest fielding percentage, Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon leads in Range Factor, and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has a massive edge in Zone Rating. It’s hard to put together.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Ron Cey (BRK)
808
221
6
.973
2.39
5.4
Anthony Rendon (OTT)
853
266
7
.974
2.73
1.8
Scott Rolen (PHI)
813
240
5
.979
2.60
8.5
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
677
193
3
.984
2.53
6.3
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
Rendon’s ZR confirms that his other stats are really a product of being on the field a lot. I think that leaves Rolen and Schmidt pretty much neck and neck.
SS (550 IP min)
The lower requirement is basically to allow Philadelphia’s Mickey Doolin to be listed. Homstead’s Arky Vaughan has played the most at SS, giving him roughly 20% more chances than the next few shortstops. Couple that with only 5 errors for a .990 PCT and Vaughan has to be in the argument. George Wright (Los Angeles) has a .995 PCT with only 2 errors, which is remarkable. Vaughan also leads in RNG, and is one of 3 SS with a ZR over 10, along with Detroit‘s George Davis and Kansas City‘s Ozzie Smith.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
George Davis (DET)
855
479
12
.975
4.91
13.0
Mickey Doolin (PHI)
597
343
5
.985
5.10
8.0
Ozzie Smith (KCM)
868
467
5
.989
4.79
12.5
Arky Vaughan (HOM)
884
520
5
.990
5.24
10.1
George Wright (LAA)
754
411
2
.995
4.88
9.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
You gotta’ give it to Wright, right? But after that, how do you figure out the difference between Smith and Vaughan? Smith is more spectacular, Vaughan more steady … I’ve always been a sucker for the spectacular.
LF (500 IP min)
Homestead’s Rick Reichardt has spent the most time out there, has the best RNG among qualifiers, and leads LFers with 10 OF Kills. Los Angeles’ Don Buford and Ottawa’s Phil Bradley are second with 6, so that’s quite a gap. There are six–SIX–LFers who qualify who are yet to make an error. Of those, only Brooklyn‘s Roy White and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble have positive supporting metrics as well. White has routinely pulled of the spectacular, making roughly 4 additional plays in LF than the Gotham’s Jimmy Sheckard and San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Phil Bradley (OTT)
552
121
6
0
1.000
1.97
-1.9
Don Buford (LAA)
629
144
6
3
.979
2.02
1.0
Oscar Gamble (DET)
535
118
2
0
1.000
1.99
1.5
Rickey Henderson (SFS)
689
173
5
3
.983
2.22
2.7
Rick Reichardt (HOM)
799
211
10
2
.991
2.35
-1.2
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG)
865
207
5
4
.981
2.11
2.6
Roy White (BRK)
865
204
2
0
1.000
2.12
6.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I think White has to get the nod here, and behind him it’s a bit f a jumble. Reichardt is far from spectacular, but he’s added twice as many cold, hard outs than the next contenders without many miscues, so he gets a nod despite the negative ZR.
CF (600 IP min)
The Gothams’ Willie Mays has 15 OF kills to lead the way, but of note is Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who has 13 in half the games. Griffey, currently at AAA, doesn’t qualify here, but what an arm! Baltimore’s Paul Blair has yet to make an error. Mays and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis make the most plays, with Blair, Mays, and Birmingham‘s Curtis Granderson leading in ZR.
There are others having strong years–Kansas City’s Willie McGee, Memphis’ Reggie Smith, and Detroit’s Chili Davis spring to mind–but it’s really between those initial four names.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Paul Blair (BAL)
801
303
8
0
1.000
3.40
9.0
Willie Davis (PHI)
781
323
7
2
.994
3.70
5.2
Curtis Granderson (BBB)
631
247
10
3
.988
3.48
6.4
Willie Mays (NYG)
899
381
15
2
.995
3.79
7.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
Mays and Blair seem the easy choices here.
RF (500 IP min)
RF is probably the most difficult of the OF spots to evaluate. The Gothams’ Johnny Callison leads in OF Kills, but with only 8. Callison is tied with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente in ZR, far, far ahead of the next cluster. Jeff Burroughs (POR) has yet to make an error, but the rest of his numbers aren’t terribly impressive. The House of David’s Dan Ford leads in RNG and is solid enough elsewhere.
The challenge is that several of the best in RF–Miami’s Alejandro Oms, Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston, and Ottawa’s Larry Walker–don’t qualify here. Walker especially draws the eye, with 7 Kills and great peripheral numbers. But all of them are under 400 innings.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Johnny Callison (NYG)
671
181
8
1
.994
2.41
6.2
Roberto Clemente (HOM)
747
194
4
2
.990
2.31
6.2
Dan Ford (HOD)
542
160
5
4
.975
2.59
1.2
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I think it’s pretty clear that Ford is in third place here and I think it’s hard to push Clemente above Callison.
SP (100 IP min)
Sample size is clearly an issue here, but the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry had handled the most chances and leads in RNG. Jack Taylor (HOD) and Dutch Leonard (BRK) lead in ZR. Unwinding a pitcher’s responsibility for controlling stolen bases is hard, but since we know that, on the whole, the league runs about 33% in terms of cutting them down, we can look for who is far above that: Leonard shows up, but if we look at those with at least 10 attempts against them, we are looking at San Francisco’s Eddie Plank, Taylor, and Portland‘s Jerry Koosman.
IP
TC
RNG
ZR
RTO%
Jerry Koosman (POR)
119
12
0.83
2.2
46
Dutch Leonard (BRK)
139
18
1.17
2.4
67
Gaylord Perry (NYG)
117
27
1.92
-0.5
21
Eddie Plank (SFS)
116
13
0.93
1.8
64
Jack Taylor (HOD)
142
21
1.26
2.5
56
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %
I think this ends up going to Taylor and Leonard, but there will probably be more churn here than in other fielding evaluations between now and the end of the season.
Final Analysis
Gold Glove
Silver Glove
C
Louis Santop (CLE)
Thurman Munson (NYY)
1B
Will Clark (MCG)
Dan McGann (BAL)
2B
Cookie Rojas (NYG)
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
3B
Scott Rolen (PHI)
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
SS
George Wright (LAA)
Ozzie Smith (KCM)
LF
Roy White (BRK)
Rick Reichardt (HOM)
CF
Willie Mays (NYG)
Paul Blair (BAL)
RF
Johnny Callison (NYG)
Roberto Clemente (HOM)
SP
Jack Taylor (HOD)
Dutch Leonard (BRK)
Defense is so hard to evaluate, right? Despite being the only team with 3 players listed here, the Gothams aren’t at the top of any of the team fielding ratings.
Looking at overall mentions may be more interesting–here is the list of players considered above, by team.
5 – New York Gothams 4 – Homestead; Philadelphia 3 – Baltimore; Brooklyn; House of David; San Francisco 2 – Cleveland; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York Black Yankees; Ottawa 1 – Birmingham; Chicago; Kansas City; Memphis; Miami; Portland 0 – Houston
Yeah, not any better actually. The Gothams are among the best teams in the league, but both Homestead and Philadelphia are most decidedly not.
Defense. Shrug.
Performance
Batters
Top 2 in each stat, leader in bold.
Dick Allen (CAG). 310/380/544. 10 3B. Johnny Bench (IND). 314/421/608. 5.2 WAR. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/407/649. 31 HR. Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/460. 35 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 350/390/572. 134 H. Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/539. 81 R. Bobby Grich (LAA). 284/370/474. 35 2B. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/383/335. 76 BB, 72 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/376/591. 31 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 334/419/592. 81 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610. Stan Musial (KCM). 332/391/594. 37 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 335/391/546. 135 H, 100 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 299/371/449. 72 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/429/643. 32 HR, 96 RBI, 85 R, 79 BB, 5.6 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/468. 10 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold.
17 pitchers have at least 10 wins, accounting for why we went deeper in ERA and WHIP this time. Have also included FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) for the first time, helping to unravel some of the mystery of Alejandro Peña.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-5, 4.07. Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-4, 3.37. 1.15 WHIP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. 1.18 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.75. 160 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.41. 155 K, 3.5 WAR. Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.54. 3.24 FIP, 4.2 WAR. Gaylord Perry (NYG). 8-7, 3.92. 3.54 FIP. Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 6-6, 3.27. Jack Taylor (HOD). 10-8, 3.35. 1.18 WHIP.
Relievers
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold. 25 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-5, 3.09. 24 Sv. Elmer Brown (POR). 3-4, 1.65. 7 Sv, 9 H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.94. 28 Sv. Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.45. 1 Sv, 3 H, 0.94 WHIP. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.17. 4 Sv, 7 H, 1.01 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.81. 19 Sv, 0.97 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.62. 3 Sv, 10 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.73. 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.80. 14 H. Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.80. 1 Sv, 8 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv, 1.02 WHIP.
Series Results
Series XXVII Sweeps
Baltimore over Philadelphia
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVII
Detroit over Miami Kansas City over Los Angeles Portland over Memphis New York Gothams over San Francisco
Series XXVII Splits
House of David @ Birmingham Houston @ Brooklyn New York Black Yankees @ Chicago Homestead @ Cleveland Ottawa @ Indianapolis
San Francisco Sea Lions @ Portland Sea Dogs, Game 4
The conclusion of the clash of the sea creatures did not disappoint …
The Sea Lions scored in the first in typical fashion: Rickey Henderson bunted for a base hit, stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a single by Bobby Bonds, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Pedro Guerrero. The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when Rogers Hornsby scored Kent Hrbek with a double into the gap.
Guerrero scored Bonds for a 2-1 lead, but it was short-lived, as a Bobby Murcer triple scored Harry Hooper and Iván Rodríguez, putting Portland up, 3-2. Portland looked in good shape at that point, good enough that Gary Pettis replaced Murcer in CF for better defense. Well, perhaps not only defense: after a horrid start to the year, Pettis has pushed his average well over .300.
San Francisco would tie the game in the top of the 9th in a decidedly unexpected way. With one out, John Beckwith, who is barely retaining his spot on the roster, pinch hit for Jimmy Bloodworth and singled. Phil Garner pinch ran for Beckwith and, after a walk to Sal Bando, light-hitting Miguel Cairo, forced to remain in the game for defensive purposes, doubled home the tying run off Portland’s Elmer Brown.
And there it stayed, until the 15th inning. San Francisco had turned the game over to Charlie Root, Portland to José Muñoz, and each were excellent. Mickey Cochrane–much maligned and in danger of losing his job–singled to lead off the 15th. Portland had nobody on the bench to pinch-run–or catch in the bottom of the frame–so Cochrane stayed in the game, moving to 2nd on a wild pitch by Muñoz and to third on a groundout. He scored on a single from Garner, and Root closed it out.
Willie Stargell led off the top of the 2nd with a solo homerun to kick off the scoring and while a 2-RBI double from Billy Bryan put Memphis ahead briefly, Stargell would do the same in the 4th, leading off with a homerun which, combined with an RBI groundout from Arky Vaughan that scored Chief Wilson, tied the game at 3. The teams would trade runs until, in th ebottom of the 5th, Ted Williams sent one deep to put Memphis up by 2, 6-4.
And then the Grays exploded, with a bases-clearing double from Stargell and a 2-run shot from Wilson putting Homestead up, 10-6. Each team would add a run, and Homestead would head to the bottom of the 9th, up 11-7. Should be safe, right? Especially with their closer, Michael Jackson, on the mound.
Wade Boggs doubled to start the inning, Williams walked, and Bill White doubled, scoring Boggs. Josh Lindblom promptly uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Williams and, when David Justice reached on an error from Homestead’s CF, Andrew McCutcheon, scoring White, the score was 11-10 with no outs. Manny Ramírez singled, but a fantastic throw from Rick Reichardt nailed Justice at the plate. Lindblom retired Bryan and Reggie Smith on flyouts, and the Grays squeaked through with a game that looked well in hand.
Boggs, Stargell, and Wilson each had 4 hits, with Pops driving in 5 and scoring 4.
HOM 11 (Pierce 1-2; Giusti 1 H) @ MEM 10 (Gibson 0-1; Callahan 1 BSv) HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (18), Wilson (8); MEM – Williams (19) Box Score
Kansas City Monarchs @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2
New York’s Ron Guidry keeps putting in good performances to little results: in this one, he went 7 innings, giving up only 1 run. He was matched by a trio of Monarchs’ arms as Smokey Joe Wood (injured in the 4th), Joe Blong, and Trevor Rosenthal combined to also allow 1 run through 7.
And then the bullpens collapsed–expected for the Black Yankees, but a surprise for Kansas City. First, New York’s Goose Gossage and Gary Lavelle combine to give up 3 runs in the top of the 8th, with the key hits being 2-out RBI’s from Stan Musial and Ducky Medwick. But Craig Kimbrel was equally weak for the Monarchs, giving up back-to-back doubles to Eric Davis and Thurman Munson to start the frame, and a 2-run homerun to Don Mattingly to give the Black Yankees a 5-4 lead.
But no lead is safe for New York: Lavelle gave up a single, a walk, and an error to tie the game, and Ralph Citarella gave up a go-ahead single to Albert Pujols. Kansas City’s Jeff Pfeffer had no such struggles, picking up his 12th save in closing the game out.
A successful suicide squeeze from Jim Stephens scored Anthony Rendon for Ottawa, tying the game at 1 in the top of the 4th. In the next inning, Rendon would single in a run before Larry Parrish went deep with a 3-run blast to put the Mounties up, 5-1. The Angels would roar back, taking a 7-5 lead behind RBI hits from Don Buford, Bobby Grich, Mike Trout, and Carlos Delgado.
But Ottawa doesn’t fold as easily as they did earlier in the season, with George Van Haltren sending Francisco Rodríguez‘ 4th pitch of the ballgame into the bleachers for a 3-run homerun, putting the Mounties back on top, 8-7. Ted Bowsfield, Steve Howe, and Ryan Dempster closed the game out with 3.1 hitless innings.
Miami Cuban Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 4
Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss has been great all year. Miami’s Roenis Eliás less so. But they matched frame for frame in this one, each tossing 7.1 IP while allowing only 3 hits and 1 run. The game remained tied at 1 into the 10th, when Miami’s closer Aroldis Chapman was left in to pitch a second inning. He gave up a walk to Art Griggs, a single to Duke Farrell, and a walk to Al López. That brought José Méndez in from the pen for the Cuban Giants … who promptly gave up a walkoff, grand slam shot to Beals Becker.
