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TWIWBL 84.7: NL Wild Card Round – Indianapolis ABC’s v Brooklyn Royal Giants

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On January 12, 2026

In 2001 Playoffs, TWIWBL

#Game 1, Wed Oct 3rd

Brooklyn surprised some fans by going with Orel Hershiser in the opening game of the series. Hershiser’s credentials are clear–19 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA–but Don Drysedale is (was?) the established ace of Brooklyn’s staff. We’ll see if this fires up Drysedale in Game 2, but that’s for another day.

Today, Hershiser will face the best pitcher in the league, Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón.

The game was scoreless with each hurler allowing only a single hit until Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench took Hershiser deep to lead off the top of the 5th. Hershiser drilled George Foster in the back–as you do–but escaped without allowing additional runs.

The bottom of the 6th saw the first challenge for Padrón: a walk to John Briggs was followed by a single by Jackie Robinson. Padrón whiffed Ron Cey but Mike Piazza took him deep to right, putting Brooklyn on top, 3-1. Even though he was done on the mound, Padrón wasn’t finished, though: he took Hershiser deep in the top of the 7th, once more tying the game.

Clay Carroll took over on the mound from Padrón, and was greeted quite rudely: Duke Snider and Vern Stephens singled and Beals Becker followed with a 3 run shot, doubling the Royal Giants’ advantage to 6-3. Carroll was relieved by Rube Foster, who fared little better as Piazza hit his 2nd of the day, putting Brooklyn on top, 8-3.

Stephens added a solo shot for the final tally, 9-3 in favor of Brooklyn.

Piazza drove in 5 and Stephens and Robinson chipped in with 2 hits each for Brooklyn.

IND 3 (Carroll 0-1) @ BRK 9 (Hershiser 1-0)
HRs: IND – Bench (1), Padrón (1); BRK – Piazza 2 (2), Becker (1), Stephens (1).
Box Score

#Game 2, Thu Oct 4

The key second game would fall to Johnny Cueto for Indianapolis. Brooklyn turns to Don Drysedale, and the question on everyone’s mind is how the big righthander would react to being passed over for the opening game.

Brooklyn’s Dickie Thon continues to be sidelined with an abdominal strain, but Indianapolis has regained the services of OF Emil Frisk, a useful piece off the bench, perhaps.

Drysedale struggled in the top of the first, giving up a double and a walk. But he also whiffed 2, and escaped the frame without harm. Brooklyn would take the lead on a sacrifice fly, taking advantage of an error by Indianapolis’ Barry Larkin, for an early 1-0 lead.

Oscar Charleston took Drysedale deep with a runner on, putting the ABC’s ahead, 2-1. But Indianapolis’ fielding would continue to betray them, with Jackie Robinson reaching on a miscue by Chris Sabo at 3rd and then scoring on a poor throw from Bescher in left on a Ron Cey single. Clearly frustrated, Cueto delivered a belt high fastball to Mike Piazza, who promptly hit it out. 4-2, Brooklyn.

Cueto surrendered another homerun–a solo shot to Vern Stephens–before a John Briggs single chased him from the game.

Drysedale toughed it out through 6 innings, fanning 7 and exiting with the Royal Giants up, 5-2.

Frisk would get his chance: Johnny Bench greeted Burleigh Grimes with a double, and moved to 3rd on a groundout, bringing Frisk to the plate, pinch-hitting for Tommy Helms. But Grimes prevailed, retiring Frisk and Larkin to maintain Indianapolis’ edge.

Bescher atoned for his fielding mistake with a leadoff homerun in the 8th off Terry Forster, but Rob Murphy continued to struggle on the mound, allowing a double to Dan Brouthers and a triple to Jackie Robinson. So we head to the 9th with Brooklyn ahead, 6-3 and Eric Gagne coming in from the bullpen.

Gagne was not his usual self, walking Adam Dunn and Bench to start the 9th. But he recovered, fanning 2 and getting a groundout from Larkin to end the game and put the Royal Giants up, 2 games to nothing.

Piazza’s third homerun in 2 games was key, but the errors were probably more important as only 2 of the runs were earned, leaving Indianapolis’ fans to wonder what if.

IND 3 (Cueto 0-1) @ BRK 6 (Drysedale 1-0; Gagne 1 Sv; Grimes 1 H; Forster 1 H)
HRs: IND – Charleston (1), Bescher (1); BRK – Piazza 1 (3), Stephens (2).
Box Score

#Game 3, Sat Oct 6

We head to Indianapolis for game 3, with Smokey Joe Williams getting the ball for Brooklyn and the ABC’s turning to Eppa Rixey.

Both hurlers delivered, with the game scoreless through 3 innings, but Dan Brouthers led off the 4th with a double and moved to 3rd on a single from Jackie Robinson. Ron Cey grounded into a double-play, scoring the run for a 1-0 edge to the Royal Giants.

Williams only allowed 1 hit through 5 innings, but 5 walks were nudging his pitch count up earlier than Brooklyn would like.

Rixey gave up 2 hits to start the 6th and a sacrifice fly to Dan Brouthers, doubling Brooklyn’s lead and bringing Dolf Luque in from the ABC’s.

The ABC’s got on the board in the 6th when Joey Votto took Williams yard, but Mike Piazza got the run back with a shot to right in the top of the 7th making the score 3-1 in favor of Brooklyn.

Williams stayed in until a single by Adam Dunn in the bottom of the 7th, but the rest of the inning passed without incident. But the ABC’s wouldn’t go without a fight, using a walk and a single to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th. That brought Sandy Koufax in from the bullpen to face Oscar Charleston and Joey Votto. The runners advanced on a double-steal and Charleston singled in 2 runs, tying the game at 3.

The pitching continued to be solid, and we had the first extra inning game of this year’s postseason.

Brooklyn was the first to threaten, with a Vern Stephens double leading off the 10th. Stephens was replaced by the speedier Ray Dandridge, but Clay Carroll got out of the inning when a hard liner from John Briggs turned into an inning ending double play.

George Foster singled to lead off the bottom of the 11th and after Dave Von Ohlen fanned Dunn, the Royal Giants summoned Eric Gagne from the pen. Gagne walked Luis Padrón and then gave up a game-winning single to Barry Larkin, giving Indianapolis a 4-3 victory that keeps the ABC’s in the series.

BRK 3 (Von Ohlen 0-1; Hildenberger 1 H; Forster 2 H; Koufax 1 BSv) @ IND 4 (Carroll 1-1) [11 Innings]
HRs: BRK – Piazza (4); IND – Votto (1).
Box Score

#Game 4, Sun 7 Oct

Pitching depth begins to matter more and more: for Brooklyn, they get to trot out Fernando Valenzuela, who would be a top of rotation starter for most teams, while Indianapolis goes with Joe Lake, brought over mid-season from Chicago to help bolster their staff.

Brooklyn will give Ray Dandridge his first start of the series while Indianapolis will turn to Ed Charles for the first time, sliding Chris Sabo to DH in an attempt to get more right handed bats against the lefty Valenzuela.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the first, Oscar Charleston and Joey Votto doubled, and Johnny Bench followed with a homerun, making it 3-0.

Dandridge rewarded the faith in him with an RBI single in the 2nd, and then scored on a base hit by John Briggs, making it a 1 run game at 3-2 in favor of the ABC’s.

Charleston took Valenzuela deep with a runner on, but the Royal Giants bounced back with a vengeance: Ron Cey and Mike Piazza went back-to-back with big flies and Dandridge tripled in a run by the time the inning ended, Lake had been replaced by Doc White and Brooklyn held a 1 run advantage, 6-5.

Brooklyn added 2 more, fueled by a 2-out double from Roy White, and Barry Larkin got 1 back for Indianapolis with a solo shot. At that point, both bullpens were fully engaged: Sandy Koufax for Brooklyn and Rube Foster in relief of White for the ABC’s. Koufax gave up a run on another Larkin RBI, so after 6 innings we had a 1 run game, 8-7 in favor of Brooklyn. Roy White took Foster deep and Brouthers added another RBI, giving the Royal Giants a 3 run cushion as they turned to the back end of their bullpen

Brouthers drove in 2 more with a double in the 9th, which became important when Charleston hit a 2 run shot in the bottom of the inning. That fetched Eric Gagne from the bullpen, who was able to close it out for a 12-9 win for Brooklyn, and the all-important 3-1 series lead.

Charleston finished with 3 hits and 4 RBIs in the losing cause; Briggs and Dandridge each had 4 hits for the victors.

BRK 12 (Koufax 1-0; Gagne 2 Sv; Forster 3 H; Hildenberger 2 H) @ IND 9 (Lake 0-1)
HRs: BRK – Piazza (5), Cey (1), White (1); IND – Bench (2), Charleston 2 (3), Larkin (1).
Box Score

#Game 5, Mon Oct 8

With Brooklyn having a chance to clinch, the 2 teams will bring out the same hurlers who faced off in Game 1–Orel Hershiser for Brooklyn and Luis Padrón for Indianapolis.

Pedro Guerrero will see his first action of the series for the Royal Giants while Ed Charles will start at 3B for Indianapolis in place of the struggling Chris Sabo.

Indianapolis would take the lead on a fairly unlikely event–a triple by Johnny Bench, which scored Joey Votto. Hershiser and Padrón were dealing, and the game remained 1-0 through 4 innings. In the top of the 5th, Guerrero came through with an RBI single, driving in 2. Ray Dandridge followed with a single, and Brooklyn had a 3-1 lead.

Padrón went 6, giving up the 3 runs. Duke Snider greeted his replacement, Jack Billingham, with a solo homerun; 2 walks and a hit later, the ABC’s brought in Willie Mitchell. It was a challenging ask: Mitchell came into the game with 1 out and the bases loaded. H walked in a run and gave a single to Mike Piazza, making it 7-1 Brooklyn, with 9 outs to go.

Hershiser got 2 of them, pitching into the 7th, but a walk to Padrón and a 2-out single from Bob Bescher brought Burleigh Grimes in from the pen. Grimes got the final out–a flyout from Charles–and we were off to the 8th.

Frank Knauss–yet to see action the series–was given the chance to close the game out for the Royal Giants. Knauss allowed 2 baserunners in the 9th but eventually got Bescher to groundout, ending the ABC’s season and joining Houston in the Division Series.

Dandridge continued to argue for more playing time, banging out 3 hits in the game, but it was really Hershiser’s performance that sealed the deal.

BRK 7 (Hershiser 2-0) @ IND 1 (Padrón 0-1)
HRs: BRK – Snider (1); IND – none.
Box Score

Mike Piazza took home the MVP Award, hitting .400 with 5 homeruns and 12 RBIs for Brooklyn.

TWIWBL 84.3: NL Playoff Previews

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On January 8, 2026

In 2001 Playoffs, TWIWBL

Again, in seeding order.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Sailing under the radar for most of the season, Brooklyn still managed 99 victories, led by a ridiculously strong pitching staff.

The Royal Giants are one of the a very few teams with a legitimate top 4, and it’s unclear if Don Drysedale‘s 2nd half resurgence earns him a start in the opening game, given that Orel Hershiser (19-5, 3.69), Smokey Joe Williams (12-13, 3.93), and Fernando Valenzuela (14-5, 3.69) each had better seasons than Drysedale’s 11-8, 5.66 record.

The bullpen sports 2 of the dominant relievers of the league, with closer Eric Gagne and setup man Trevor Hildenberger, and Burleigh Grimes and Sandy Koufax provide excellent middle inning help when needed.

The offense is a notch below the pitching: Ron Cey and Mike Piazza are stars, and Dan Brouthers, John Briggs, Jackie Robinson, Beals Becker, and Duke Snider are all quite good. Vern Stephens and Dickie Thon seem to be sufficient at SS, and the versatility of Ray Dandridge helps around the IF, despite his lackluster offense.

George Hendrick has been lights out since being brought over in a trade, and makes the playoff roster ahead of swing starter Jim Bunning.

#Philadelphia Stars

Quite a turnaround for Philly, who were horrible last year, mediocre much of this year, and then turned it on the final few months to finish in 2nd place in the Effa Manley Division.

It’s an odd team in many ways. Clearly, Charles Rogan and his unique combination of a 308/362/620 slash line and legitimate #2 starter mound performances count for a lot, as does Aaron Judge breaking out with an OPS over 1.000, 63 homers, 133 RBI’s, and 108 runs scored. Scott Rolen is excellent at 3B, and Rico Carty held off the demons of age for another productive season.

And then the question marks start … Bill Dickey seems to be the answer behind the plate, but is untested, Sherry Magee could be useful, and the newly acquired Jim Fregosi might finally provide some stability at SS. Seems, could be, might …

The rotation is … odd. Hardie Henderson (18-12, 3.78) is probably the #1, but Steve Carlton‘s stuff is electric, despite a 12-13 record and a 5.05 ERA. Then, Rogan. Behind those, JM Ward has been far, far, far better than his 6-10 record would indicate and lefty Ray Collins is dependable.

Bob Howry, Ted Kennedy, Fred Cambria, and Pedro Feliciano form a solid, no-name bullpen (with trade acquisition Mark Melancon‘s selection to the postseason roster in doubt).

In the end, Melancon made it, as did the disappointing Harry Hooper, but that was more a function of a lack of relevant alternatives than anything else.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Most saw this Houston team as being a year or 2 away, but they kept winning through the Summer, and ended up topping the Marvin Miller Division by a comfortable margin.

The pitching staff is not structured as it was to start the season, as both Stephen Strasburg and Roy Oswalt have struggled mightily all season. Still, it’s a strong opening trio, led by the dominant Toad Ramsey (16-10, 3.23) and Roger Clemens (17-10, 3.71) and the now-healthy Ice Box Chamberlain (4-4, 3.56).

The bullpen has been poor all season, with Sparky Lyle (brought over to be the closer) struggling and Tug McGraw having his issues as well. Jim Kern has been a surprising bright spot, and Andrew Chafin and Roberto Osuna have been solid enough.

The offense is an intriguing mix. Carlos Correa, Jeff Bagwell, and Tony Gwynn are a solid core and Paul Goldschmidt has forced his way into the conversation in about 1/3 of a season’s work. Gentleman Jim O’Rourke has bounced back from a poor first season, and the rest of the pieces–mostly Jim Wynn and teenage phenom Pete Hill–are solid enough.

The worst news for Houston is that C Will Smith, who has absolutely destroyed WBL pitching since his recall, is not eligible for the postseason, putting the onus behind the plate on Jorge Posada, who has struggled. Given the presence of Gorman Thomas–who has also been on fire in limited action–we may see O’Rourke catching more than anticipated.

Thomas’ performance forced Casey Stengel off the playoff roster, as, especially with Dock Ellis injured for a few days, both Strasbourg and Oswalt made it.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

It came down to a playoff, but baseball fans are happy to see the ABC’s make the playoffs, as it extends the season for the best pitcher in baseball, Luis Padrón, and the emerging superstar Oscar Charleston.

The postseason likely brings an end to Indianapolis’ 6 man rotation, as the team will try to maximize the starts for Padrón (23-3, 3.22) and Johnny Cueto (12-14, 4.62). Eppa Rixey, Guy White, and Joe Lake are the most likely candidates behind those 2.

The back end of the bullpen was supposed to be a strength, but both Rob Dibble and Rob Murphy have struggle of late, leaving Jack Billingham and the surprising Mike LaCoss as the strongest performers at the moment.

Offensively, this is Charleston’s team, with the young CF slashing 337/381/619 with 38 homers, 130 RBIs, and 101 runs scored. Joey Votto and George Foster have been excellent and while Johnny Bench fell short of last year’s heights, 46 homers and 116 RBIs from behind the plate is nothing to sneeze at.

Chris Sabo has mostly displaced Ed Charles at 3B, but the biggest issue is the absence of Joe Morgan, who will miss the postseason through injury. Morgan was among the best in the game, and without him, the middle infield becomes pretty mediocre, relying on Tommy Helms and Barry Larkin.

#Predictions

Brooklyn is just that much better than Indianapolis across the board, so I think the Royal Giants take that one, 4-2.

The Houston/Philadelphia series is even harder to predict, and I think it is either very close, going the full 7 games, or Houston’s offense clicks on all cylinders and the Colt 45’s win in 5. Let’s say the former, with Houston edging it in a final contest.

TWIWBL 83.1: Year 2, Week 26

By

On December 26, 2025

In TWIWBL

September 23rd

And then there was one … week to go.

#Awards

Houston‘s Jim O’Rourke continues a great recovery from a disappointing performance last season with a National League Player of the Week Award. O’Rourke hit .550 in the penultimate week of the season as the Colt 45’s try to clinch their first Marvin Miller Division title.

In the AL, the often-overlooked Lou Gehrig picked up the Award with the Black Yankee‘s 1B hitting .400 with 6 homeruns.

#Team Performance

#AL

The Black Yankees had a good week in the Bill James Division, moving from a virtual tie with Cleveland into a 1.5 game lead. The Detroit Wolverines, however, have picked a bad time to struggle, and they now hold only a half-game lead over Miami for the final Wild Card spot.

It’s an interesting final week on the schedule: the Black Yankees visit San Francisco in a likely playoff series preview, and then close out the year against the much-improved of late Baltimore Black Sox. Cleveland probably has the easiest schedule, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox, and then ending the year at Miami, who play Detroit before that series with the Spiders.

Miami not only has their future in their own hands, they also could decide the Black Yankees / Spiders race.

#NL

With 96 victories in the Effa Manley Division, the Brooklyn Royal Giants have an outside shot at 100 and, with a 5 game lead, Philadelphia looks to have locked up a Wild Card spot.

Houston has a clear path to the Marvin Miller Division crown on paper, with a 4 game lead and series left against the New York Gothams and the Wandering House of David. The final Wild Card spot is likely to come down to the final series of the year, with Kansas City hosting Indianapolis, although the House of David are technically still in the race.

#Player Performance

#Batters

An overpowered year on offense comes to a close. This list has been fairly constant for a while, I’ve added a 2nd list with less desirable stats as well.

Top 2 in most categories.

Lance Berkman (CLE). 279/369/645. 141 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 256/357/716. 66 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 336/377/618. 196 H.
Ty Cobb (DET). 384/438/828. 214 H, 65 2B, 16 3B, 148 R, 9.4 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 395/492/798. 10.7 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/378/421. 103 BB, 121 SB.
Pete Hill (HOU). 270/345/449. 14 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 355/410/607. 67 2B.
Tim Raines (OTT). 250/353/438. 111 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 282/416/745. 70 HR, 162 RBI, 142 R, 117 BB.

Here are some of the less positive performances. Only the leader is listed (although Dunn is 2nd in SO and Lajoie 2nd in negative WAR).

Cupid Childs (BBB). 222/343/327.
Adam Dunn (IND). 207/341/468. 190 SO.
Ted Kluszewski (PHI). 248/291/442. -1.5 WAR.
Nap Lajoie (HOM). 232/254/407. -1.4 WAR.
Manny Machado (BAL). 240/284/518. 24 GIDP.
Mickey Mantle (NYY). 254/367/588. 214 SO.
Doug Rader (LAA). 242/299/455. 24 GIDP.

This list is interesting, honestly. Childs’ OBP and Dunn’s power hide other clear faults, and it’s surprising that WAR sees Kluszewksi as that bad. Mantle is obviously the best of this group.

#Pitchers

#Starters

As it has been for most of the seasion, this list continues to be dominated by 3 names: A. Rube Foster, Luis Padrón, and Toad Ramsey. I’ve added some usage stats (GS, IP) to help fill out the picture as the season winds down, and, as with the batters, a 2nd list for some less desirable leaders (Hardie Henderson could be on both, given 18 wins and his league-leading walks number).

Top 2 in most categories.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 11-7, 3.27. .187 BA, .217 BABIP, 1.01 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 11-7, 4.51. 251 K.
Hardie Henderson (IND). 18-12, 3.78. 98 BB.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 18-5, 3.76.
José Méndez (MCG). 13-5, 4.47. 35 GS.
Luis Padrón (IND). 23-3, 3.20. 228 IP, 7.0 WAR.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 18-8, 4.26.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 19-7, 4.46.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 16-10, 3.23. 223 IP, 282 K, .182 BA, 0.97 WHIP, 3.39 FIP, 7.9 WAR.
Ed Walsh (CAG). 9-10, 3.84. .222 BABIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 12-12, 3.87. 3.58 FIP.

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 7-15, 6.45.
Walter Johnson (POR). 13-11, 4.10. 91 BB.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 7-15, 5.58. 36 GS.

#Relievers

Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves. 35 Min IP for rate stats.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.09. 39 Sv, 1 H.
Bruce Chen (BBB). 2-4, 6.71. 4 Sv, 11 H, 67 G.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 1-3, 4.93. 17 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 3-3, 3.12. 37 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-3, 2.27. 2 Sv, 10 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.32. 24 Sv, 0.89 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.81. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.52. 33 Sv.
Andrew Miller (MEM). 7-8, 4.42. 4 Sv, 12 H, 71 G.
Akinori Otsuka (CAG/BBB). 8-3, 2.26. 7 Sv, 5 H.
Lee Smith (KCM/HOD). 4-2, 2.75. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.76 WHIP.

WBL Year II Playoff Statistics

For complete statistics, poke around on the WBL Year II Stats Page.

Batting Statistics

2+ 3B Games

3+ 2B Games

3+ HR Games

3+ OF Assists

4+ BB Games

8. Mickey Cochrane (SFS).

4+ BB Games

4+ Run Games

4. Barry Bonds (SFS), Rickey Henderson (SFS).

4+ SB Games

5+ Hit Games

5+ SO Games

6+ RBI Games

Longest HRs

Pitching Statistics

75+ Game Scores

89. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).

10+ Strikeout Games

11. Bob Feller (CLE), Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
10. Ron Guidry (NYY).

8+ Walk Games

Shutouts

Shutouts (Combined)

2 Hits. Smokey Joe Williams / Eric Gagne (BRK).
4 Hits. Bill Steen / Pat Malone / Al Smith / Terry Adams (CLE).

TWIWBL 81.3: A Preliminary Look at the Rookies

By

On October 31, 2025

In TWIWBL

We’re going to do this by position group, ignoring league differences (although we will have a Rookie Team for each league in the offseason).

Only 6 players are officially full time (that is, they qualify for the batting stats): IF Jimmie Foxx, OFs Turkey Stearnes, John Briggs, Adam Dunn, and Ichiro Suzuki, and everywhere playing Charles Rogan. That group probably forms the core of the shortlist for the final Rookie of the Year Award: if you’re able to hold down a fulltime starting spot as a rookie in the WBL …

#C

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are no fulltime rookie catchers, although 2–Philadelphia’s Bill Dickey and the House of David’s Frank Chance–have seen more and more time as the season has worn on.

NameAgeTmLgOPS / WAROther
JP Arencibia30BBBNL.769 / -0.3166 PA, 15 HR, 29 RBI
Frank Chance24HODNL.658 / -0.2250 PA
Bill Dickey23PHINL.772 / 0.4159 PA, 23 RBI
Dick Dietz29NYGNL.937 / 0.794 PA
Tom Haller33BALAL.839 / 0.7127 PA
AJ Pierzynski28LAAAL.630 / -0.4191 PA, 9 HR

Really, that’s it. Chance has played about 3/4 of the time behind the plate, so the playing time is pretty consistent. So … Tom Haller (who is likely to not have a very long career, although he’ll be retained as the backup in Baltimore next season for sure) in the AL and Dickey in the NL.

#1B/3B

The corner IF spots are a bit rough, given the high end talent in the AL and the lack of presence in the NL.

NamePosAgeTmLgOPS / WAROther
Jimmie Foxx1B/3B21SFSAL.924 / 2.3510 PA, 44 HR, 82 RBI
Joe Harris1B36HOD/
KCM		NL.899 / 1.1429 PA
Eddie Murray1B22BALAL.857 / 0.279 PA
David Ortiz1B27MEMAL1.039 / 2.0293 PA, 30 HR, 62 RBI
Andy Pafko3B29BBB/
MCG		NL/
AL		.851 / 0.6260 PA
Chris Sabo3B29INDNL.780 / 0.2297 PA

Foxx’s being the only rookie infielder to qualify for the batting championship gives him the lead, despite Ortiz’ remarkable production. Foxx played a little more at 1B than 3B, but given the paucity of hot corner candidates, may get the recognition there, clearing the way for Ortiz.

Pafko played as much in RF as 3B, but we needed more 3B here. Harris is a nice feel-good story–nothing like a 36 year old rookie come good.

#2B/SS

2 of the best here–Cal Ripken, Jr. and Judy Johnson–played regularly elsewhere (including 3B), but logged the majority of their innings in the middle infield.

NamePosAgeTmLgOPS / WAROther
Royce ClaytonSS22SFSAL1.020 / 0/7100 PA
Charlie Gehringer2B25DETAL.798 / 0.3418 PA, 14 HR, 48 RBI
Frank Grant2B/SS22HOD/
SFS		NL/
AL		.754 / 1.1283 PA
Judy JohnsonSS18HOMNL.809 / 1.2240 PA
Dobie MooreSS20MEMAL.779 / 1.1378 PA
Cal Ripken, Jr.SS23BALAL.876 / 2.3370 PA, 22 HR, 62 RBI
Joe SewellSS23CLEAL.852 / 0.9133 PA

Interesting list, with Gehringer being the only truly full time player for the entire season, although both Moore and Ripken are close enough to count. The lack of talent at 2B and in the NL is striking.

#OF

Here we have the clear overall RoY from the field players, but there’s more to chew on here than Turkey. Sorry.

NamePosAgeTmLgOPS / WAROther
Juan BeníquezLF35DETAL.916 / 1.9400 PA
John BriggsCF21BRKNL.930 / 2.7448 PA
Kiki CuylerLF32PORAL.675 / -0.5305 PA
Adam DunnLF22INDNL.831 / 0.5502 PA
George FosterRF22INDNL.841 / 1.5432 PA
Al KalineRF21DETAL.919 / 2.1422 PA, 75 RBI
Elliott MaddoxOF21NYY/
HOU		AL/
NL		.766 / 0.2406 PA
Rick MondayCF24OTTNL1.019 / 1.6307 PA
Julio RodríguezCF20MCGAL1.024 / 1.8355 PA, 35 HR
Charles RoganCF27PHINL.964 / 3.0466 PA
Turkey StearnesCF22SFSAL1.134 / 6.0512 PA, 47 HR, 115 RBI
Ichiro SuzukiRF28LAAAL.698 / -0.5513 PA
Sam ThompsonRF27OTTNL.820 / -0.2362 PA

We’re not going to be too picky about positions here, going with Stearnes, Kaline, and J-Rod in the AL and Briggs, Rogan, and Foster in the NL; or perhaps Monday, if you want to recognize Rogan on the mound.

The surprises here are probably Briggs (who had an army of doubters, but is 2nd here in WAR) and Monday, whose offense just kept demanding more and more playing time. And mention has to be made of Beníquez–35 years old and a dominant year. He played 1B and 3B as well, so may see recognition there.

#SP

A dozen rookies made 10 or more starts; of those, a half-dozen are worth taking a closer look at.

NameAgeTmLgW-LERAIPWHIPFIPWAR
A. Rube Foster23KCMNL10-63.211850.993.725.1
Bump Hadley23SFSAL16-54.151691.224.074.3
Charles Rogan27PHINL11-94.411691.234.813.1
Fernando Valenzuela24BRKNL13-53.601481.024.323.1
Jim Whitney24BBB/
MCG		NL/
AL		8-63.791761.084.394.2
Joe Williams24BRKNL12-113.871881.243.696.0

Foster is the clear class of this group, but Smokey Joe is a very close 2nd. I would add Whitney and Valenzuela to the award list, giving Brooklyn 2 of the 4 slots.

#RP

There aren’t a ton of relievers who are impactful enough to really warrant discussion here, but there are some.

NameAgeTmLgW-LERASvHWHIP
Terry Forster22BRKNL1-23.562141.12
Eddie Guardado25KCMNL2-22.20191.00
Billy Hoeft19DETAL2-36.102101.50
Brad Kilby27PHINL3-36.202141.24
Firpo Marberry28CLEAL7-04.723111.34
Tug McGraw27HOUNL5-42.951251.20
Andrew Miller23MEMAL6-84.413111.33
Skel Roach28MEMAL2-14.313121.49

Marberry, McGraw, Forster, and Guardado look pretty solid.

TWIWBL 81.1: Year 2, Week 24

By

On October 29, 2025

In TWIWBL

September 9th

This week we have more playoff updates, and a look at the best rookies so far this year.

#Awards

Freddie Freeman is immediately showing he belongs at this level for Los Angeles, with the recent acquisition earning the AL Player of the Week Award, hitting .579 for the week with 4 homeruns. Over in the NL, Brooklyn‘s Duke Snider took home the Player of the Week with a .600 (!) average and 5 homers.

#Team Performance

#AL

The San Francisco Sea Lions have clinched the Cum Posey Division.

The New York Black Yankees have taken a 1 game lead over the Cleveland Spiders in the Bill James Division. Both of these teams will make the postseason, with the 3rd place team in the Bill James, the Detroit Wolverines, leading the Miami Cuban Giants by 4.5 games for the final AL playoff spot.

So, barring some real drama, the only race here is between the Spiders and the Black Yankees for playoff seeding.

#NL

The Effa Manley is a bit of a mirror of the Cum Posey, with the Brooklyn Royal Giants playing out the string, riding a 15.5 game lead over second place Philadelphia, with the Stars currently the highest ranked Wild Card team as well.

And then it gets messy.

Houston has surged in front of the Kansas City Monarchs, with the Colt 45’s leading the Marvin Miller Division by 2.5 games now. However, 3 more teams (Indianapolis, Homestead, and the House of David) are within 2.5 games of the final Wild Card spot, with Birmingham and the New York Gothams only 4 games back. All of that means that only the Ottawa Mounties (5.5 games off the Wild Card, but having 5 teams in the way) have really given up on the season.

#Player Performance

#Batters

It’s late in the year, so there is less churn in these lists. Let’s focus on the races that are still up for grabs.

Ty Cobb‘s lead in most categories is significant, but his 15 triples is only ahead of Houston’s Pete Hill by 1, with Bullet Joe Rogan and Turkey Stearns staying close with 13 each.

Miami’s José Canseco is holding onto the homerun lead with 62. He’s trailed by 2 Black Yankees: Babe Ruth with 59 and Lou Gehrig with 56.

Rickey Henderson is ahead of Ottawa’s Tim Raines by 3 in the stolen base race, 108 to 105.

Top 2 in most categories.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 279/346/639. 129 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 251/357/717. 62 HR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 382/436/827. 195 H, 59 2B, 15 3B, 135 R, 8.6 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 395/493/791. 9.7 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/376/431. 95 BB, 108 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 354/407/611. 64 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 269/402/694. 59 HR, 139 RBI, 125 R, 104 BB.

In the less glorious stats, sitting on 197, the Black Yankees’ Mickey Mantle is guaranteed to top 200 strikeouts on the season.

#Pitchers

Luis Padrón continues to totally dominate, winning his 20th and 21st game over the past week. Sitting at 21-3, Padrón has been the best starter in the league for most of the season. With only a few weeks left, it’s possible nobody else reaches 20 victories, but we’ve listed all 5 of the other hurlers with at least 16 wins.

A couple active streaks of note: José Rijo, Padrón’s teammate on the Indianapolis ABC’s, hasn’t allowed a run in 21 innings, and Brooklyn’s Sandy Koufax is riding a streak of 10 innings without giving up a hit.

#Starters

On the one hand, this list could be 3 names long: A. Rube Foster, Padrón, and Toad Ramsey.

Top 2 in most categories.

Roger Clemens (HOU). 16-9, 3.61.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-6, 3.21. .187 BA, .211 BABIP, 0.99 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 9-7, 4.29. 232 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.15.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.87.
José Méndez (MCG). 12-5, 4.37. 206 IP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 21-3, 3.34. 205 IP, 6.2 WAR.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 17-8, 4.19.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 17-7, 4.55.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.18. 248 K, .181 BA, 0.97 WHIP, 3.33 FIP, 7.4 WAR.
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 13-5, 3.60. 1 Sv, 4 H, .220 BABIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 12-11, 3.87. 3.69 FIP.

#Relievers

Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves and holds. 30 Min IP for rate stats, which allows the debut of the amazing start to Bartolo Colón‘s career for Homestead.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 4.93. 36 Sv, 1 H.
Bartolo Colón (HOM). 1-0, 0.87. 1 H, 0.84 WHIP.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.40. 16 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.60. 33 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-2, 2.20. 1 Sv, 9 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.14. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.48. 32 Sv.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.64. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.79. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.77 WHIP.

#Injuries

A huge one: Chicago‘s Frank Thomas is out for 8-9 months with a knee injury. The Big Hurt is expected to make a full recovery, but this really will impact the American Giants’ offseason plans, as they will need a 1B for the first half of next season.

TWIWBL 80.1: Year 2, Week 23

By

On October 10, 2025

In TWIWBL

September 2nd

Pennant race intrigue galore as we enter the final month of the season!

#Awards

#August Awards

Brooklyn‘s emerging stud Fernando Valenzuela went 5- 1 in August, earning the NL Rookie of the Month for August; in the AL, San Francsico‘s rookie superstar Turkey Stearnes hit .389 with 10 homers and 24 RBI’s during the month, taking home the AL Award.

Valenzuela was eclipsed by Indianapolis‘ Luis Padrón for the overall monthly award. Padrón went 5-0 in the month with a 3.09 ERA as he solidified his status as the best hurler in the WBL this season, winning the NL Pitcher of the Month for August. The AL Pitcher of the Month went to Andy Pettitte of the New York Black Yankees, who rode a 5-1 record to the Award.

Ernie Banks of the House of David had a torrid August, slugging 14–FOURTEEN–homeruns and hitting .370 as he was named the Batter of the Month in the AL. Over in the NL, the Batter of the Month Award went to Detroit‘s Ty Cobb, who hit .452 in August, reclaiming a shot at a .400 average for the season.

#Weekly Awards

Stearnes hit .435 with 4 homers over the final week of August, earning the rookie CF the AL Player of the Week while Brooklyn’s 3B Ron Cey hit .455 with 5 homers, earning him the NL Player of the Week Award.

#Team Performance

Here is where we are.

In the American League, The San Francisco Sea Lions are going to win the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or New York Black Yankees are going to win the Bill James Division (right now, the Spiders hold a 1.5 game edge). Whoever loses the Bill James will take one Wild Card spot, and either Detroit (8 gams back in the Bill James) or Miami (1.5 games behind Detroit) will take the other.

Over in the National League, it’s a lot more complicated. Brooklyn is running away with the Effa Manley Division, and right now Philadelphia–13 games behind the Royal Giants–is leading the Wild Card chase. The Marvin Miller Division is still tightly packed, with the Houston Colt 45’s holding a 2 game edge over Kansas City. However, 7 teams are within 5 games of the final Wild Card slot, so essentially, other than the Effa Manley crown, everything is left to play for in the NL.

#Player Performance

#Batters

This week, we have the story of 2 slumps. Josh Gibson has dipped below .400 for the first time in months and Babe Ruth has gone 10 games without a homerun (and only has 2 in his last 17 games). While Gibson has retained the BA lead, Ruth has surrendered the HR edge and is in fact closer, with 57, to Ernie Banks in 3rd place with 54 than José Canseco in 1st with 62.

Top 2 in most categories.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 283/347/657. 126 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 261/367/749. 62 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 338/382/619. 174 H.
Ty Cobb (DET). 388/443/846. 189 H, 58 2B, 15 3B, 130 R, 8.6 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 396/497/775. 9.1 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 251/382/439. 93 BB, 103 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 363/415/623. 64 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 266/400/689. 57 HR, 134 RBI, 121 R, 101 BB.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 5 players with at least 16 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-6, 3.09. .205 BABIP, 0.98 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.40. 222 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.06.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.94.
Luis Padrón (IND). 19-3, 3.49. 5.9 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 16-7, 4.68.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 16-8, 4.28.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.25. 240 K, 0.98 WHIP, 3.34 FIP, 7.1 WAR.
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 12-5, 3.56. 1 Sv, 4 H, .218 BABIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 11-11, 3.93. 3.70 FIP.

#Relievers

Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves and holds.

28 Min IP.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.22. 33 Sv, 1 H.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.34. 15 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.68. 31 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 1.99. 1 Sv, 9 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.27. 21 Sv. 0.85 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.05. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.62. 32 Sv.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.80. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.81. 6 Sv, 12 H. 0.77 WHIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 2-2, 2.51. 17 Sv.

#Streaks

Been a while since I checked in on these … and there is very little going on in terms of active streaks. George Gore of the House of David has reached base in his last 8 consecutive at bats, but that’s about it.

Houston’s Carlos Correa had a 29 game hitting streak earlier this season, and San Francisco’s Lefty Grove went 34 innings without allowing a run.

TWIWBL 78.6: Effa Manley Division

By

On September 17, 2025

In TWIWBL

TeamW/LPctGB
Brooklyn Royal Giants73-50.593—
Homestead Grays64-60.5169.5
Philadelphia Stars61-62.49612
Ottawa Mounties59-64.48014
New York Gothams59-65.47614.5
Effa Manley Division | 19 August

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

The Royal Giants exploded for 23 hits in a 21-4 demolishing of Homestead. Dan Brouthers had 4 hits, Beals Becker and Duke Snider drove in 4 apiece, and Mike Piazza scored 4 times for the Royal Giants. Snider hit 2 out, and Piazza, Becker, and Pedro Guerrero each had homeruns as well, backing a decent outing from Smokey Joe Williams, who improved to 11-11 on the season.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays–finally–found themselves with some hard decisions to make on the mound, as both Cliff Lee and Bartolo Colón were recalled from their rehab assignments. Bob Knepper and Russ Kemmerer were sent down, and Ricardo Rincón started a rehab assignment of his own.

The net effect of this is that the Grays move Lee back into the starting rotation, and vacate their fifth spot, allowing it to be split between Bob Friend, Colón, Hal Carlson, and the newly acquired David Price and Juan Marichal.

#New York Gothams

Aaron Loup, Santiago Casilla, and Guy Hecker were recalled from AAA to fill out the Gothams’ staff and Ben Oglivie, George Kell, Carl Furillo, and Bill Terry were added to the bench.

Benny Kauff crushed 2 homers, Buster Posey added a grandslam, and Kell hit one out in his first WBL at bat as the Gothams doubled up the Mounties, 12-6.

#Ottawa Mounties

Bill Crouch will miss about a week, earning a trip to the DL. Bob Brown was recalled from his rehab assignment in his place.

Larry Walker hit 2 out as the Mounties topped Indianapolis, 7-4. Despite earning his 3rd victory of the season, the Mounties removed Atlee Hammaker from the rotation after the game, preferring a committee approach to their 5th (and, depending on how Al Orth fares in his next outing, even the 4th) spot on their staff.

Bill Smith was recalled from his rehab assignment, along with Ps Clark Griffith and Max Scherzer and field players John Olerud, Terry Puhl, Emil Gross, and Bob Watson.

Utility man Mike Dorgan will miss about a week with a strained back, earning himself a trip to the DL with Ottawa recalling Josh Donaldson from AAA.

Rick Monday will play regularly somewhere next season. Somewhere. He had 4 hits, scored 4 times, and drove in 6 with 3 homers in a 17-3 drubbing of the Gothams. Donaldson, Walker, Rusty Staub, and Roberto Alomar also went deep and Roy Halladay improved to 14-7 on the year.

#Philadelphia Stars

Aaron Judge hit 2 out, but the Stars fell to the House of David 11-10 in 13 innings. Joe Rogan and Bob Howry were both injured on the day, with Rogan only expected to miss a few games, but Howry out for about a week. The Stars recalled Luke Weaver from AAA.

TWIWBL 77.2 Spotlight on the Brooklyn Royal Giants

By

On August 28, 2025

In TWIWBL

Nobody, and I mean nobody, would have predicted a double digit lead in the Effa Manley Division for Brooklyn this season. But here we are.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Royal Giants’ success is a product of a great pitching staff and just enough offense, anchored by a few breakout performances. And there is room for improvement: not only can they hold onto their division, this is a team that could impress in the postseason.

THE OFFENSE

It’s not a great offense, but it has some true high points, and seems to have just enough to keep the runs coming.

#What’s Going Right

First, the breakout: Mike Piazza has exploded, leading the team in almost all offensive categories, with a 307/338/677 slash line, 42 homeruns and 98 RBIs. For a catcher not named Gibson, that’s great output, and it’s a fantastic return after Piazza’s struggle last season.

Almost as surprising has been the excellence of Ron Cey at the hot corner, whose 963 OPS is third on the team, behind Piazza and the true heartbeat of the Royal Giants, Jackie Robinson. Robinson leads the team in OBP, has 32 steals, and is involved in almost every key rally for the team while moving between 1B and 2B. Robinson and Beals Becker provide a good bit of speed, with each having over 30 steals at decent success rates.

John Briggs faced a lot of doubters heading into this season, but he’s performed excellently in CF.

Dan Brouthers has an OPS of .960 in part-time duty at 1B and, honestly, keeps wondering why the Royal Giants won’t just commit to him long term.

8 players have at least 20 homeruns (Piazza, Duke Snider, Becker, Cey, Robinson, Pedro Guerrero, Briggs, and Roy White).

#What’s Not Going Right

Pedro Guerrero was brought in to add punch to the offense, and while he’s picked it up of late (one of the points of possible improvement mentioned above), his 784 OPS still leaves a lot to be desired.

Duke Snider is doing Duke Snider things, which means a lot of power–his 30 homers are second on the team–but not a lot else.

SS has been a challenge all year, with neither Dick Bertell nor Germany Smith proving a solution. Vern Stephens‘ overall numbers aren’t great, but he’s slashing 317/328/633 since coming to Brooklyn over the all-star break.

Ray Dandridge remains a 21 year old who struggles with WBL pitching, but his future remains bright in spite of his current sub .700 OPS.

Overall, the team needs to get on base a bit more: only Cey, Robinson, Briggs, and Brouthers have OBPs over .350.

THE PITCHING

This is easily the strength of the team, and it’s only gotten better for Brooklyn over the season, as Fernando Valenzuela‘s emergence has given them an excellent rotation, front to back, complemented by a very strong bullpen.

#What’s Going Right

The Big Three for Brooklyn are as impressive as nearly any in the league, led by the brilliant Smokey Joe Williams and the surprising Orel Hershiser. Williams’ record isn’t great at 10-9, but he and Hershiser both sport sub 4.00 ERA’s with excellent secondary numbers.

The third of the group is Don Drysedale, who was struggling mightily over most of the first half of the season, but has shaved 1.5 runs off his ERA since the start of July. Five consecutive wins in there have improved his record to 10-5.

Valenzuela’s emergence has been quite spectacular, and the lefty is now firmly entrenched in the rotation.

Eric Gagne could be the best closer in the WBL, with 25 saves and a 2.52 ERA, and Trevor Hildenberger has been fantastic as his setup.

#What’s Not Going Right

Sandy Koufax keeps lingering on the edge of brilliance, but he lost his place in the rotation to Valenzuela and while he’s been solid out of the bullpen, it still feels like his eventual role is as a starter.

That’s about it: Burleigh Grimes, Terry Forster, and Dave Von Ohlen have all been mediocre, but that’s certainly better than not going right.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

It’s a decent farm system, but a lot of the talent is already in Brooklyn (White, Briggs, Snider, Becker, Dandridge, Cey, Guerrero, Robinson, Piazza, Brouthers, Williams, Drysdale, Koufax, Gagne, and Forster are all under 25).

But there’s still some surplus talent: Ed Delahanty and Al Simmons have WBL quality bats and Doc Newton, Dick Redding, Dazzy Vance, and Walker Buehler all should have some upside on the mound.

It doesn’t necessarily mean much, but all three of Brooklyn’s minor league affiliates–AAA Queens, AA Jersey City, and A Albany–are in first place in their leagues.

WHAT’S NEEDED

These opportunities don’t come around very often, so we would expect the Royal Giants to make some moves at the trading deadline, hoping to power their playoff run.

Most of all, Brooklyn needs to stay healthy.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

  • In addition to the pitching staff changes mentioned above, the rest of the roster is very much in flux. This all seemed to settle down without a problem, especially if Stephens solves the SS issue.
  • Can John Briggs continue to set the world on fire? Smoldering, if not on fire.
  • Will Mike Piazza finally take hold of the starting C role? Yes, yes he will.

FEATURED SERIES

The Royal Giants host Houston for 4 games to close out the week.

Projected Starters

Houston’s starter listed first.

Toad Ramsey (13-8, 3.13) @ Orel Hershiser (15-5, 3.79)
Roger Clemens (13-7, 3.50) @ Fernando Valenzuela (9-4, 3.73)
Roy Oswalt (5-8, 6.41) @ Smokey Joe Williams (10-10, 3.68)
Stephen Strasburg (4-8, 6.19) @ Don Drysedale (10-5, 5.67)

Brooklyn’s starters are just so, so, so good. That of course means the games will be slugfests, but I see the Royal Giants taking 3 out of 4 here, solidifying their division lead.

Game One

Roy White had the first hit of the game, a solo shot to right in the second inning, giving Brooklyn a 1-0 lead. A Jackie Robinson triple scored John Briggs in the 3rd, doubling it to 2-0.

Orel Hershiser held the Colt 45’s hitless into the 5th when, with 2 outs, Pete Hill lined a double. Jorge Posada brought him home with single, halving the lead to 2-1. In the 6th, with 2 on and 2 out, George Brett sent a ball screaming into CF, ending up with a triple, bringing both runners home and giving Houston the lead, 3-2.

Dan Brouthers got a knuckler that didn’t from Toad Ramsey, and sent it deep into LF with a runner on: 4-3 Brooklyn.

And that was it: the Royal Giants bullpen is excellent, and in this one, Dave Von Ohlen and Trevor Hildenberger passed the ball to Eric Gagne, who pitched a perfect 9th for his 26th save.

This was a bit of a hard luck loss for Houston, with Ramsey surrendering only 3 hits in his 8 innings while fanning 10.

HOU 3 (Ramsey 13-9) @ BRK 4 (Hershiser 16-5, Von Ohlen 3 H; Hildenberger 8 H; Gagne 26 Sv)
HRs: HOU – none; DET – White (22), Brouthers (15).
Box Score

Game Two

Another stellar pitching matchup, as Houston’s Roger Clemens will face off against the home side’s Fernando Valenzuela.

Mike Piazza took Clemens deep in the 2nd for his 43rd homerun of the year. Roy White and Pedro Guerrero followed with longballs of their own, and the Royal Giants were up 3-0 on the back to back to back shots. Brooklyn added to their lead in a more traditional way: a single from Dan Brouthers who eventually scored on a sac fly from Ron Cey.

Meanwhile Valenzuela was magnificent, allowing 2 hits over 5 innings while fanning 8.

Houston got on the board in the 5th when Carlos Correa brought home Tony Gwynn. Correa eventually scored on a wild pitch, but Brooklyn still held the 4-2 edge.

Recently recalled Gorman Thomas launched his 2nd homerun int he 7th, chasing Valenzuela and turning the game over to the Royal Giants’ exceptional bullpen, beginning with Burleigh Grimes, who ended the inning with Brooklyn up, 4-3.

Homeruns from Vern Stephens and Cey gave them some buffer, and Duke Snider’s 34th of the season gave Brooklyn an 8-3 lead heading into the top of the 9th.

The Colt 45’s added a run, but the outcome was never really threatened.

If you hit 6 homeruns, you’re supposed to win …

HOU 4 (Clemens 13-8) @ BRK 8 (Valenzuela 10-4; Grimes 3 H; Forster 2 Sv)
HRs: HOU – Thomas (2); BRK – White (23), Piazza (43), Guerrero (23), Stephens (8), Cey (29), Snider (34).
Box Score

Game Three

Houston came through the trade deadline much changed, Brooklyn less so, but the game–and the series between the two clubs–goes on. The starters for this game remain unchanged, with Houston’s Roy Oswalt taking on Brooklyn’s Smokey Joe Williams in a matchup that significantly favors the Royal Giants.

Mike Piazza drove in 1 with a single and Beals Becker followed with a 2 run double, giving Brooklyn a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. John Briggs hit his 22nd homer of the year in the 2nd, increasing the lead to 4-0.

Williams has struggled at times with wildness, and back to back walks to open the 3rd came back to bite him, as Tony Gwynn followed with a 2 run double to halve the lead. Gwynn scored on an RBI groundout from Jeff Bagwell, and Houston kept piling it on with deep shots from Jim Wynn and Pete Hill. When the inning ended, the Colt 45’s had seized the lead, 6-4.

Williams gave up a double to Bagwell to open the 5th, then walked 2 more: that was enough and Brooklyn summoned Sandy Koufax from the bullpen to face the bases loaded jam. Koufax struck out 2, but walked in a run, giving Houston a 7-4 advantage.

Jim O’Rourke added a solo shot and Houston’s bullpen–their Achilles heel all year–suddenly found itself with Vida Blue, Jim Kern, John Franco, Roberto Osuna, and Andrew Chafin combining for 4 innings of hitless relief of Oswalt.

HOU 8 (Oswalt 6-8; Blue 1 H; Kern 1 H) @ BRK 4 (Williams 10-11)
HRs: HOU – Wynn (27), Hill (7), O’Rourke (9); BRK – Briggs (22).
Box Score

Game Four

The Royal Giants will look to take the series behind the rejuvenated Don Drysedale, who after a horrific start to the season, now sits at 10-5 with an ERA south of 6.00 and dropping. The struggling Stephen Strasbourg will oppose him for Houston.

Drysedale had to leave the game in the 2nd, but is not expected to miss his next start, certainly good news for Brooklyn. But it may stress the Royal Giants’ bullpen today.

Gorman Thomas touched Burleigh Grimes for his 3rd homer in 4 career ballgames to give the Colt 45’s a 1-0 lead in the 3rd. Ron Cey tied it up in the bottom of the frame with his 30th longball of the year.

Houston put up a crooked number in the 6th, as Grimes walked in a run, hit a batter for another, and then gave up a grand slam to Jim O’Rourke to make it 7-1.

Ray Dandridge got a couple back with a 2-run homer, but Houston continued to pile it on, capped by George Brett‘s 13th of the season, launched off Jim Bunning with a runner on. So, after 5 innings, Houston was ahead, 10-3.

There were some more runs–most notably O’Rourke’s second dinger of the game–but the outcome was never threatened.

Gentleman Jim finished with 6 RBIs for Houston, who evened up the series.

HOU 14 (Strasburg 5-8) @ BRK 4 (Grimes 0-4)
HRs: HOU – Thomas (3), O’Rourke 2 (11), Brett (13); BRK – Cey (30), Dandridge (12).
Box Score

Brooklyn really had a shot at taking the series, even with Drysedale’s exit, but Grimes–usually reliable this year–had a horrible outing. For Houston, the 2 wins after juggling their roster somewhat significantly are certainly an encouraging sign.

TWIWBL 77.1: Year 2, Week 20

By

On August 27, 2025

In TWIWBL

August 12th

The trading deadline is only a week away, so that becomes a bit of the focus for both this week and next.

#Awards

Ottawa‘s Gary Carter had 6 homeruns and a .450 average last week, earning him the National League Player of the Week honors while over in the AL, Player of the Week accolades went to Los Angeles‘ Kal Daniels. Daniels, who is having a borderline MVP candidate season, went 14-for-25 on the week, raising his overall batting average to .353.

#Team Performance

Cleveland and Brooklyn have both put some distance between themselves and their chase packs: in the Bill James Division, Cleveland (9-1 over their last 10 games) leads the New York Black Yankees by 4 games while in the Effa Manley Division, Brooklyn is now up by a whopping 10.5 over Homestead.

With the San Francisco Sea Lions running away with the Cum Posey Division (with the best record in baseball, they currently hold an 18.5 game lead), that leaves the Marvin Miller Division as the only currently close race, with the Kansas City Monarchs in first and Birmingham in last, with only 4.5 games separating the 5 teams in the division.

We’ll start to pay more attention to the Wild Card standings soon, for now, the Black Yankees and the Detroit Wolverines would make it in the AL, with Homestead and the surprising Ottawa Mounties in the NL. However, those races are all still very close.

With 5 losses in a row, Baltimore has recovered the worst record in the league with a .427 winning percentage (they briefly ceded this dubious honor to the Chicago American Giants, who have improved just enough to move ahead of the Black Barons).

#Player Performance

#Batters

What jumps out at me most is how widespread the talent is. This list has the top 2 performers in all categories, yet each team is only represented once.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 260/369/740. 52 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 348/388/650. 157 H, 12 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 370/426/788. 154 H, 47 2B, 104 R, 6.4 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 353/444/660.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 408/507/790. 8.1 WAR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 352/406/586. 51 2B.
Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI). 287/341/610. 12 3B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 280/411/730. 53 HR,126 RBI, 106 R, 87 BB.
Ted Williams (MEM). 308/427/653. 80 BB.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 5 players with at least 14 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 8-4, 3.01. 0.98 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 14-4, 4.12.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.40. 197 K.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 15-5, 3.79.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.11.
Luis Padrón (IND). 16-3, 3.36.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.32.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-8, 3.13. 207 K, 0.98 WHIP, 3.19 FIP, 6.4 WAR.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 8-3, 2.86. 0.98 WHIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 10-9, 3.82. 3.58 WHIP, 5.1 WAR.

#Relievers

3 closers have 25+ saves, including Brooklyn’s Eric Gagne, who may be the most dominant fireman in the league at the moment. If it’s not Gagne, it’s one of the relievers who have recently taken over the closer role for their teams: Chicago’s Akinori Otsuka or Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel.

25 Min IP.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-3, 5.23. 27 Sv, 1 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.52. 25 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.11. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.36. 1 Sv, 17 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 2.23. 7 Sv, 11 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-3, 3.56. 27 Sv.
Akinori Otsuka (CAG). 5-1, 1.85. 6 Sv, 5 H.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.95. 1 Sv, 14 H.

#Game of the Week

So so close to the no no.

Pitching on short rest, Indianapolis‘ Johnny Cueto delivered 5 hitless innings in a start against Ottawa … then Clay Carroll added 2 more, and Rob Murphy another. Which meant Rob Dibble came in for the bottom of the 9th with the ABC’s leading 7-0 and throwing a combined no-hitter. Dibble got Roberto Alomar to groundout, Larry Walker to whiff … and then gave up a long fly ball to Gary Carter that just barely cleared the outfield fence, ruining the shutout and the no-no.

IND 7 (Carroll 1-2) @ OTT 1 (Radbourn 11-10)
HRs: IND – Dunn (33), Charleston (30), Votto (26); OTT – Carter (44).
Box Score

#Injury Report

Not a lot of impact here right now: names that might see a rehab stint this week include John Tudor (BAL), Bob Brown (OTT), Ross Reynolds (LAA), and Casey Stengel (HOU).

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