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Year II Season Preview: Kansas City Monarchs

By

On April 7, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

This team was so lost last season, that anything could feel like progress. But a .500 finish would be a start.

Best Case

Bob Gibson explodes onto the scene and additional quality arms are found somewhere while the offense continues to build around the core of Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Willie McGee, and Boog Powell.

Worst Case

This turns into the worst pitching staff in the league and the offense just can’t compensate enough, especially if Pujols doesn’t make a step forward.

Key Questions

  • Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen?
  • 3B looks unsettled.
  • How does the competition between Ducky Medwick and Steve Evans pan out?

Trade Bait

Not enough talent to really be active.

Roster Evaluation

POSEliteStrongSolidMehWeakUnknown
CSimmonsRuel
1BPowellMurphy
2BCanóFrisch
3BPujols
SSSmith
LF/
RF		MusialBrock
Evans
Medwick		Rettenmund
CFMcGee
SPHamlinCastilloRijo
Wood		Gibson
Morris
EndKimbrelPfefferDiPino
RPA.R. Foster
Guardado
Hermanson
Shawkey
New Addition | Injured

It’s all pretty much apparent there: the offense, especially Albert Pujols, needs to shift left and the need for something positive to happen on the mound for the Monarchs to take a step forward. Gibson and A. Rube Foster becoming at least solid would be a huge boon.

Talent Ratings

WBLMinors
Raw PowerU Dale Murphy1B Andre Thornton
Batting EyeC Muddy RuelOF Fielder Jones
ContactOF Stan MusialIF Dave Cash
Running SpeedOF Lou Brock
CF Willie McGee		OF Cool Papa Bell
OF Jarrod Dyson
U Rex Hudler
CF Omar Moreno
Base StealingOF Lou BrockOF Jarrod Dyson
IF DefenseIF Albert PujolsIF Sam Mongin
OF DefenseOF Stan MusialOF Fielder Jones
StuffP Smokey Joe WoodP Larry French
ControlSP Luke HamlinP Jimmy Key
VelocityRP Craig KimbrelP Giovanny Gallegos
P Darren O’Day
P Trevor Rosenthal

Best In The Minors

RankAgePOSName
1 (1)21OFWade Johnston
2 (6)23PA. Rube Foster
3 (7)20OFCool Papa Bell
4 (11)25PJock Menefee
5 (35)18IFCarlos Baerga
6 (41)21PMatt Morris
7 (83)22IFSam Mongin
8 (97)22IFDink Mothel
9 (100)25OFMerv Rettenmund
10 (116)18CJohnny Bassler
Others: OFs Heliodoro Hidalgo, Earl Averill; IFs Dave Cash, Kolten Wong; Ps Bill Singer, Larry French.

Clearly one of the deeper systems in the league, but one that has some complications: Bell and Johnston are blocked, Morris is injured, and only Foster will start the season with the Monarchs. But the scouts are drooling over all these guys, and 9 in the top 100 is pretty incredible–and that doesn’t even include top draft pick Hilton Smith.

MostLeast
AgeIF Jim Davenport, 37C Johnny Bassler, 18
IF Carlos Baerga, 18
HeightP Adam Russell, 6’8″OF Heliodoro Hidalgo, 5’6″
OPSOF Stan Musial, .972 (WBL)C Salvador Pérez, .572 (WBL)
HROF Merv Rettenmund, 28 (WBL/AAA)C Muddy Ruel, 0 (—)
SBOF Lou Brock, 49 (WBL)Many with 0
WAROF Merv Rettenmund, 5.4 (WBL/AAA)IF Ivy Olson, -1.4 (—)
WSheriff Blake, 16 (—)AJ Schugel, 1 (—)
Félix Hernández, 1 (WBL/AAA/AA)
SVAdam Russell, 25 (WBL/AAA)
ERASheriff Blake, 2.27 (—)Dustin Hermanson, 15.35 (—)
WARSheriff Blake, 5.2 (—)AJ Schugel, -3.9 (—)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Season Review: Kansas City Monarchs

By

On December 8, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

66 - 88, .428 pct.
5th in Cum Posey Division, 25 games behind.

Overall

What a miserable year for the Monarchs. They were expected to contend, and just collapsed, despite the presence of some elite offensive players (most notably, of course, Stan Musial).

They converted some key veteran talent into a lot of pieces, so perhaps the franchise can bounce back quickly, but for now they rival the Black Yankees for the biggest disappointment in the league.

What Went Right

The offensive core of this team is very solid. At 22, Stan Musial spent most of the season on the fringes of the MVP discussion and at 21, Albert Pujols showed the kind of potential that could put him there. Even though both hit late season slumps, Boog Powell and Ducky Medwick were both solid, and Lou Brock and Willie McGee were virtually interchangeable, each with OPS’ around .810 and over 40 steals. Add in Ted Simmons‘ above-average production as a C, and the Monarchs should continue to score runs for a while.

Steve Evans never stopped hitting, demanding a closer look with the team next year.

Luke Hamlin had some of the most dominant starts in the league. Bob Gibson and Adam Wainwright both showed some serious potential and Jeff Pfeffer impressed as a closer–a challenge on a team that was very rarely close at the end of games. Craig Kimbrel and Trevor Rosenthal were good out of the pen as well.

ALL STAR SELECTIONS
2B Rogers Hornsby; OF Stan Musial; SP Andy Pettitte

What Went Wrong

Robinson Canó cooled off after seeming to step directly into Rogers Hornsby‘s shoes. Ozzie Smith was the worst offensive performer in the league to qualify for the batting crown (although, it must be said, he was in the argument for the gold glove at SS).

Ultimately, the team lacked pop. They hit for average, but at the end of the day, there was a bit too much of the McGee / Brock, base-at-a-time model.

Luke Hamlin had some of the worst starts in the league, and the rest of the staff ranged from inconsistent to horrible.

A lot of top tier talent–most notably Hornsby and Andy Pettitte–was traded away.

Trade Evaluations

March

OF Jim Edmonds to House of David for IF Robinson Canó

Sure.

June

2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman & 4th Round Pick to Portland for P Smoky Joe Wood and C Devin Mesoraco

Troubling. Wood struggled a lot, although he is only 20, and Mesoraco is likely never more than a backup backstop.

July

P Connie Johnson & 5th Round Pick to Baltimore for OF Merv Rettenmund, P Gene Garber & 2nd Round Pick {Jack Quinn}

Johnson has a world championship ring, so we’re happy for him for that. Maybe Garber turns into something?

P Andy Pettitte to Birmingham for C Dale Murphy, P A. Rube Foster, 2nd Round Pick {Matt Morris}, 5th Round Pick {Heliodoro Hidalgo}

Absolute steal, just about makes up for the rest. Pettitte was fantastic for Birmingham, and won the ERA crown, but Murphy has the scouts drooling, even if C is unlikely to be his final home, and A. Rube Foster has a great arm.

Looking Forward

SP

The future holds Bob Gibson, Adam Wainwright, and A. Rube Foster, which could be excellent. Pair that with José Rijo and a resurgent Smoky Joe Wood and the rotation could be quite strong. Could be.

RP

Craig Kimbrel and Jeff Pfeffer are strong, and there is some talent–Gene Garber, Jeff Reardon–behind them.

C

Ted Simmons has this locked for a while, and between Devin Mesocoro and Salvador Pérez, there is some depth as well.

1B

On the one hand there is no real claim here; on the other Albert Pujols, Dale Murphy, and even Stan Musial will probably drift towards this as well.

2B

Canó is possible, but there is hope that he gets some competition from the group of Kolten Wong, Dave Cash, and Frankie Frisch.

3B

Albert Pujols for now, but this may be an area of need down the road.

SS

Ozzie Smith for a while, at least as long as his defense compensates for his weak bat.

LF

Lou Brock looks solid here.

CF

Willie McGee was great this year, and there are hopes that Cool Papa Bell emerges here eventually–but can a team really succeed with both Brock and Bell?

RF

Stan Musial forever.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

A difficult choice. With the #3 overall pick, the Monarchs took a player who was a bit of a surprise, but also counts as a franchise selection, SP Hilton Smith. Smith sort of fit just right: he’ll help sooner than, say, Clayton Kershaw, but has a higher ceiling than most other pitching prospects.

With 3 picks in the 2nd round, the Monarchs started with the player least likely to stick around for a while, CF Earl Averill. It’s not clear how Averill fits into Kansas City’s plans, but his talent is undeniable. They followed that with 22 year old P Matt Morris, who (a) is a franchise pick and (b) may fight for a rotation spot this season. Finally, they added 25 year old Jack Quinn, who may join Morris at the WBL next season.

In the 3rd round, the Monarchs picked up IF Carlos Baerga, clearly believing that by the time he is ready for the majors, their 2B/3B situation will be clearer.

Rounds 5-8

Kansas City is looking to add some specific positional depth, specifically at 1B, SS, and CF.

With their final franchise exception, they take Heliodoro Hidalgo, who should help at CF. That begins to limit their options, making OF Wade Johnston a reasonable choice in round 6 and IF Polly Mongin a good fit in round 7. OF Ray Blades joins in the 8th round for some more OF depth.

Rounds 9-12

IF Dink Mothel; P Doug Bair; P Giovanny Gallegos; and P Larry French.

TWIWBL 51.7: The Awards – Mel Trench Award

By

On November 3, 2023

In TWIWBL

This is far more clear cut than the Brock Rutherford Award. But we should still look at the contenders, just for the sake of completeness.

This list contains the top 5 in OPS, HR, RBI, RC/27, and WAR.

NameTmHRRBIOPSRC/27WAR
Johnny BenchIND3290.9518.06.0
Ron BlombergCLE441251.06110.25.8
Eddie CollinsCAG2070.9228.66.5
Mike EpsteinHOM2479.9488.84.7
Hank GreenbergDET31113.9698.33.9
Elrod HendricksHOD4194.9617.74.1
Kent HrbekPOR36106.9217.54.1
Joe JacksonCAG311021.0009.55.7
Reggie JacksonSFS301051.0138.44.3
Mickey MantleNYY2785.9719.15.5
Stan MusialKCM2598.9728.44.5
Doug RaderLAA18134.9207.83.7
Frank RobinsonBAL37111.9217.34.3
Babe RuthNYY481361.09110.88.1
Mike TroutLAA21100.8897.76.0

Interestingly, the batting champion, Ty Cobb of Detroit, doesn’t make that list.

Offensively, it’s clearly between Ruth and Blomberg. Doug Rader had his supporters before Ruth overtook him in the last week of the season for the RBI lead.

Factor in defense and the rest of what goes into WAR and Blomberg suffers, but Ruth, basically, does not (and the trio of Collins, Bench, and Trout leap to the fore).

And, yeah, the arguments about second place could go on forever–Blomberg’s impossible offense v. Collins’ all-around excellence? Joe Jackson and Mickey Mantle’s under-appreciated contributions?

But the winner is pretty clear-cut: chalk one up for the Babe.

We’ll go with Ruth followed by Blomberg and Collins.

TWIWBL 51.4: The Awards – Silver Sticks

By

On November 1, 2023

In TWIWBL

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

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Johnny BenchIND31232829028738556608.0
Curt BlefaryBAL23329849028039254938.1
Elrod HendricksHOD27141799428334261917.7

Blefary is clearly third best. Imma go with Bench here as the more dangerous offensive force despite Hendricks‘ edge in homeruns.

#1B

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Mike EpsteinHOM22024807931642052808.8
Hank GreenbergDET454319311331737459518.3
Kent HrbekPOR360369110629736555607.5

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

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Eddie CollinsCAG2842010670315409513618.6
Larry GardnerBAL265128472318393471166.8
Bobby GrichLAA425127776288378476126.7
Rogers HornsbyKCM/POR35319758829436548726.4

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

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBWAR
Dick AllenCAG3010268610931138355957.9
Bob BaileyDET22321767027736446256.1
Doug RaderLAA437188513433039152907.8

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

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Jim FregosiPOR323177861300373472166.1
Bobby WallaceBAL40459960302396418186.1
Robin YountMCG305142468276314454165.0

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

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Rick ReichardtHOM23827839830137853117.2
Frank RobinsonBAL1723710111130238353927.3
Babe RuthNYY353481271363124276631410.8

The easiest choice of all …

#CF

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Pete BrowningHOD344268282331370591388.4
Bobby MurcerPOR298249587314388542118.2
Willie MaysNYG305249997322384516117.1
Reggie SmithMEM3952210072304381522206.8
Mike TroutLAA27621102100321390498377.7

Browning‘s year has to be discounted from the amount of time he missed, which really leaves this to Bobby Murcer.

#RF

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Ron BlombergCLE39044110127336412649010.2
Ty CobbDET414219289352391557528.7
Joe JacksonCAG33331109102330412588349.5
Reggie JacksonSFS2913075105317424589238.4
Mickey MantleNYY342271018531942055239.1
Stan MusialKCM49425949832939557768.4

The quality in RF rolls deep … Ron Blomberg takes this, with Joe Jackson very close behind. The deepest position in the league.

#DH

NameTm2B3BHRRRBIBAOBPSLGSBRC/27
Gavvy CravathPHI/POR36327868531038556057.9
Lou GehrigNYY25427747927537952637.1
Frank ThomasCAG333259310529740550537.4

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)

TWIWBL 47.0: End Of Season Review

By

On September 1, 2023

In TWIWBL

September 14

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

Awards

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

Performance

Batters

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

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

Pitchers

Starters

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

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

Relievers

35 IP for rate stats.

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

Final Series Results

Series Sweeps

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

Taking 3 out of 4

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

Series Splits

New York Black Yankees @ Cleveland Spiders

TWIWBL 45.0: Series XXXVII Notes

By

On August 17, 2023

In TWIWBL

September 9th

Pennant Race

And then there were two …

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):

TeamPctDivisionNotes
Baltimore Black Sox.587Cum PoseyClinched playoff; 2
Detroit Wolverines.567Bill JamesClinched playoff; 4
Chicago American Giants.567Cum PoseyClinched playoff
Cleveland Spiders.560Effa ManleyClinched division
New York Gothams.560Bill JamesClinched playoff
Portland Sea Dogs.553Marvin MillerClinched playoff; 3
Wandering House of David.553Bill James1 to clinch playoff
Birmingham Black Barons.540Marvin Miller3 to clinch playoff
New York Black Yankees.527Effa 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.

Portland visits the New York Gothams and the House of David hosts Detroit in other playoff preview matchups.

Performance

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.

Series XXXVII Results

Series XXVII Sweeps

Wandering House of David over Houston Colt 45’s
Indianapolis ABC’s over Philadelphia

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXXVII

Detroit over Birmingham
Memphis over Brooklyn
Portland over Chicago

Series Splits in Series XXXVII

Los Angeles @ New York Black Yankees
New York Gothams @ Kansas City Monarchs
Baltimore @ Homestead
Miami @ Ottawa Mounties
Cleveland @ San Francisco Sea Lions

TWIWBL 44.0: Series XXXVI Notes

By

On August 4, 2023

In TWIWBL

September 5

Awards

Gavvy Cravath won the WBL Batter of the Month for August, marking a stunning debut month for the Portland Sea Dogs after being acquired from the Philadelphia Stars. Cravath hit .370 with 11 homers and 19 RBIs during the month.

The Pitcher of the Month was Andy Pettite, 4-0 with his new club after being obtained from the Kansas City Monarchs. Pettitte put up a 2.00 ERA for the Birmingham Black Barons in August.

Baltimore’s Curt Blefary was named the WBL Player of the Week, hitting .588 with 4 homeruns and 10 RBI’s.

Playoff Picture

And then there were eight … only eight games remain in the opening season of the WBL.

And only a single playoff spot is secured, that going to the Baltimore Black Sox, who lead the Chicago American Giants by 2 games in the Cum Posey Division, but whose .589 winning percentage is the best in the league. Chicago–with the second best record in the league–is all but guaranteed a spot in the postseason as well.

And then it starts to get flaky.

In the Bill James Division, the Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are tied for first, with the Wandering House of David only 3 games behind. Right now, all three teams make the postseason.

Over in the Marvin Miller Division, Portland and the Cinderalla-story Birmingham Black Barons are tied for first, with both in playoff spots now as well.

And that leaves the shocker, where in the Cum Posey Division, the Cleveland Spiders have ridden a 9-1 record in their last 10 games to extend their lead over the New York Black Yankees to 5 games … leaving the Black Yankees–and presumptive league MVP Babe Ruth–out of the postseason picture. This is of their own doing, as the Black Yankees were swept by the lowly Memphis Red Sox in Series XXXVI.

The Brooklyn Royal Giants have overtaken the Houston Colt 45’s, but the Royal Giants are 4 games out of the playoffs and essentially have to win out to have a shot. They host Memphis in Series XXXVII, so there’s hope (but see above for Memphis’ sudden discovery of how to win ball games).

The Spiders and the Black Yankees both face potentially weaker opponents in this series, with Cleveland visiting the San Francisco Sea Lions and the Los Angeles Angels making the cross-country trip to ply the Black Yankees.

Many of the rest of these teams will beat up each other: Detroit hosts Birmingham, the House of David host the Colt 45’s and Chicago will visit Portland.

Performance

Batters

Only four players have an OPS above the magic 1.000 line: Babe Ruth (1.095), Ron Blomberg (1.065), Reggie Jackson (1.022), and Joe Jackson (1.005).

Again we’re omitting the two players tied for second with 12 triples, Alejandro Oms of the Miami Cuban Giants and Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays, but we’re also not including the Ottawa Mounties‘ Tim Raines, second in the league in SB with 91.

Ty Cobb has regained the lead in BA as Pete Browning has hit a bit of a–for him–cold streak. The batting crown should come down to those 2, with Cleveland’s Ron Blomberg having a shot as well. Ruth looks to have the other 2 legs of the Triple Crown pretty well nailed down.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 341/416/649. 41 HR.
Pete Browning (HOD). 342/379/614.
Ty Cobb (DET). 344/384/551. 179 H.
Eddie Collins (CAG). 310/409/507. 6.2 WAR.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 235/395/385. 102 BB.
Hank Greenberg (DET). 320/378/601. 44 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 272/400/357. 102 BB, 93 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 335/416/588. 106 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 318/428/594.
Willie Mays (NYG). 330/393/534. 180 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 325/389/573. 47 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 333/395/535. 128 RBI.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 317/433/663. 44 HR, 127 RBI, 119 R, 104 BB, 7.7 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 306/336/468. 14 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

We’re looking at, in all likelihood, a maximum of 2 starts left for the starters, so it feels like 17 or 18 wins will lead the league this year.

Andy Pettitte‘s second half of the season has been stunning. Not only does he look to have the ERA crown wrapped up, his ERA is now sub-3.00, an incredible accomplishment in this league. Only five starters have ERA’s below 3.50: in addition to Jack Taylor, whose stats are below, Baltimore’s Bill Byrd (3.33), Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss (3.39), and Portland’s Walter Johnson (3.44).

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 15-9, 4.30.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.68. 196 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 7-12, 4.51. 182 K.
Pat Malone (CLE). 16-8, 3.96.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 16-8, 3.54. 198 IP.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 12-9, 3.69. 5.0 WAR, 3.41 FIP.
Andy Pettitte (KAN/BBB). 15-4, 2.95.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 12-7, 3.96. 3.45 FIP.
Charlie Root (SFS/DET). 9-6, 3.57. 1.08 WHIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.22. 1.13 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 11-9, 4.47. 197 IP, 4.7 WAR.

Relievers

35 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.81. 35 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 2-6, 4.40. 37 Sv.
* Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.75. 28 Sv. 0.97 WHIP, 2.90 FIP.
Buddy Napier (DET). 1-1, 2.75. 2 Sv, 8 H. 0.97 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.44. 8 Sv, 14 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.50. 3 Sv, 17 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-5, 4.03. 1 Sv, 17 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.83. 27 S, 1 H. 2.53 FIP.

* On Disabled List.

Streaks

Baltimore’s Larry Gardner heads into the final 8 games with a 19 game hitting streak (the league record is Babe Ruth’s 23). His teammate, Baby Doll Jacobson, has driven in a run in 7 straight games. While Mike Trout‘s teammate, Bobby Grich, had his consecutive games on base streak ended at 32, Trout has a 29 game run of his own.

Brian Wilson of the New York Gothams has 27 saves on the season, having converted 25 straight. More impressively to me, Cleveland’s Bill Steen hasn’t allowed a run in 19 innings, putting him only 5 behind the league record.

Series XXVI Results

Series XXVI Sweeps

Chicago over Kansas City
Cleveland over Philadelphia
Detroit over Indianapolis
Memphis over New York Black Yankees

Taking Three Out of Four in Series XXVI

Birmingham over Houston
Brooklyn over Portland
New York Gothams over Homestead
Miami over House of David

Series Splits in Series XXVI

Ottawa @ Baltimore
San Francisco @ Los Angeles

TWIWBL 43.0: Series XXXV Notes

By

On July 25, 2023

In TWIWBL

August 31

Awards

Far too often overlooked in the New York Black Yankees‘ lineup, Mickey Mantle has been on fire lately, netting the WBL Player of the Week award, hitting .429 with 3 homeruns.

Playoff Races

Other than the Birmingham Black Barons beginning to fade somewhat, nothing has really changed: The New York Gothams, Baltimore Black Sox, Cleveland Spiders, and Portland Sea Dogs all lead their divisions, but none by more than 4 games. The teams in close pursuit–the Wandering House of David and Detroit Wolverines in the Bill James Division, the Chicago American Giants in the Cum Posey Division, The New York Black Yankees in the Effa Manley Division, and Birmingham in the Marvin Miller Division–are all firmly in the hunt for the postseason.

If the season ended today–the first use of those words, but not the last–Birmingham and the Black Yankees would be tied for the final wildcard spot.

Both the Houston Colt 45’s (4 games back) and the Brooklyn Royal Giants (5 games) have a shot.

All of this is not for lack of trying: the Black Yankees, Detroit, Houston, and Portland all won 3 out of 4 this series. But it’s hard to make up games without series against your direct rivals: Series XXXVI will see Houston travel to Birmingham and Portland host Brooklyn in the only matchups where both teams have a legitimate playoff shot.

Performance

Batters

To keep this list a little shorter, four players are tied for 2nd with 11 triples (Houston’s George Brett, the Philadelphia Stars‘ Willie Davis, the Homestead Grays‘ Josh Gibson, and the Miami Cuban Giants‘ Alejandro Oms).

Usual pattern: league leader in bold, top 2 in each category are listed.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/411/646. 40 HR, 101 R.
Pete Browning (HOD). 352/389/627.
Ty Cobb (DET). 345/385/550. 173 H.
Eric Davis (NYY). 275/350/514. 5.8 WAR.
Mike Fiore (HOM). 235/399/389. 102 BB.
Hank Greenberg (DET). 314/373/584. 43 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 270/398/355. 99 BB, 89 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 331/413/575. 101 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 319/432/604.
Willie Mays (NYG). 330/394/532. 175 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 323/388/567. 45 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 340/401/548. 175 H, 128 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 289/366/427. 90 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 317/434/670. 44 HR, 124 RBI, 117 R, 102 BB, 7.4 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 304/335/464. 14 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

Christy Mathewson lost a chance to solidify his claim as the best starter in the league (see here): now it’s a 3-man race between Matty, Andy Pettitte, and Jack Taylor.

Pettitte and Charlie Root look like (along with Portland’s RF Gavvy Cravath) look like the gems of the trade market, with each of them performing fantastically for their new clubs.

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 15-9, 4.20.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.68. 196 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 7-11, 4.42. 178 K.
Pat Malone (CLE). 15-8, 3.92.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 16-7, 3.46.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 12-9, 3.69. 5.0 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 11-7, 4.11. 3.46 FIP.
Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 14-4, 3.03. 3.42 FIP.
Charlie Root (SFS/DET). 8-6, 3.55. 1.09 WHIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.22. 193 IP, 1.13 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 11-9, 4.47. 197 IP, 4.7 WAR.

Relievers

I always liked Mike Norris irl. It’s pretty fantastic seeing him be, possibly, the best reliever in the WBL here. I know the 35 year old has a limited future so I’m just enjoying the ride for now.

35 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.85. 34 Sv, 1 H, 3.04 FIP.
Clay Carroll (IND). 2-5, 4.29. 3 Sv, 10 H. 61 G.
Mike Henneman (DET). 2-6, 4.60. 35 Sv.
* Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H. 0.98 WHIP.
Buddy Napier (DET). 1-1, 2.84. 2 Sv, 7 H. 1.00 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.46. 8 Sv, 13 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.46. 3 Sv, 17 H, 61 G.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-5, 4.03. 1 Sv, 17 H.
Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.63. 1 Sv, 9 H.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 5-3, 2.83. 5 Sv, 15 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.93. 25 Sv, 1 H. 2.56 FIP.

* On the DL, likely out for the rest of the season.

Streaks

No really interesting active streaks (perhaps understandable as the season goes on), although both Brooklyn’s John Briggs and the House of David’s George Stone have succeeded int heir last 4 pinch hit attempts.

Wait, there’s one: Bobby Grich of the Los Angeles Angels has reached base in 32 straight games, tied for 4th in the league this year.

Series Results

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXXV

Black Yankees over Brooklyn
Detroit over Cleveland
Houston over Indianapolis ABC’s
Portland over Kansas City Monarchs

Series XXXV Splits

Baltimore @ House of David
Birmingham @ Miami
Chicago @ Homestead
Los Angeles @ Philadelphia
Memphis @ San Francisco Sea Lions
Gothams @ Ottawa Mounties

TWIWBL 42.0: Series XXXIV Notes

By

On July 7, 2023

In TWIWBL

August 27th

Playoffs

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

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

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

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

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

Performance

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

Batters

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

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

Anti-Batters

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

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

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

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

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

Pitchers

Starters

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

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

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

Anti-Starters

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

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

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

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

Relievers

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

35 IP for rate stats.

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

Streaks

Very little going on here.

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

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

Series Results

Series XXXV Sweeps

Cleveland over Houston
Memphis over Philadelphia Stars

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXXV

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

Series Splits in Series XXXV

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

Series XXXIV Best Games

By

On July 3, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

A good collection of games overall … a few pitching duels, a few intriguing games.

We’ll start with two games from the series between San Francisco and the New York Black Yankees–first a great pitching matchup, then a bit of a see-saw.

#San Francisco Sea Lions @ New York Black Yankees, Games 2 and 4

The opening game of the series saw a great pitching matchup where, honestly, the better performance lost. Ron Guidry continued a bit of a hard-luck season, falling to 7-11 on the year despite allowing only 2 hits in 7 innings while striking out 9. But an error by Eric Davis (1 of 2 on the day by the Black Yankees’ CF) led to a run in the 6th and a solo shot by Sal Bando in the 7th put the Sea Lions up, 2-0. That was all San Francisco’s starter, Eddie Plank, needed, as San Francisco’s starter allowed 4 hits and 0 runs in his time. Plank improved to 11-6 on the season with Rod Beck picking up his 29th save.

SFS 2 (Plank 11-6; Beck 29 Sv) @ NYY 0 (Guidry 7-11)
HRs: None.
Box Score

San Francisco, powered by key hits from Bob Cerv and Pedro Guerrero, held a 5-3 edge going into the bottom of the 7th inning (Babe Ruth‘s 43rd and 44th homeruns of the year, both off Lefty Grove, had kept the Black Yankees in the game). Late season call-up Roger Maris started New York off with a pinch hit single. Maris was replaced at first by Tommy Herr, who, along with Thurman Munson, scored on a single by Mickey Mantle to tie the game. Mike Schmidt followed with a 2-run shot to put New York up, 8-5.

The Black Yankees bullpen continues to be weak, with Ralph Citarella giving up 2 runs (one one on a solo shot by Gene Oliver, the other on an RBI from Jack Clark) in the 8th. Aroldis Chapman had a rough 9th, but did survive to earn his 10th save with the Black Yankees and 30th overall.

Mantle had 3 hits on the day, Ruth scored 3 times, and Schmidt drove in 3.

After the game, San Francisco’s Mickey Cochrane hit the DL, with the Sea Lions recalling Brian Downing.

SFS 8 (Howell 4-5, 4 B Sv; Shields 2 H) @ NYY 9 (Lavelle 1-3; Chapman 10 Sv; Citarella 11 H; Cormier 3 H)
HRs: SFS – Oliver (2); NYY – Ruth 2 (44), Mantle (24), Schmidt (21).
Box Score

Let’s look at a few other games with fantastic efforts by the starting pitchers, starting with Miami‘s visit to Indianapolis then heading to Kansas City, where the Monarchs, and one of the most mercurial arms in the league, hosted Brooklyn.

#Miami Cuban Giants @ Indianapolis ABC’s, Game 2

Johnny Cueto and José Méndez each delivered their best start of the year, with Cueto’s 7 scoreless innings topped by Méndez’ 8 innings of 3-hit, shutout ball. Neither would figure in the decision. Cookie Rojas put Miami ahead with a solo shot in the top of the 9th, but Indianapolis tied it on an Ed Charles single in the bottom of the frame. The ABC’s walked off in the bottom of the 10th on a Jake Stenzel single, with Octavio Dotel earning the victory with an inning of scoreless relief.

MCG 1 (López 3-2; Looper 2 B Sv) @ IND 2 (Dotel 2-1) [10 Innings]
HRs: MCG – Rojas (2); IND – none.
Box Score

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Kansas City Monarchs, Game 4

Kansas City’s Luke Hamlin is one of the more frustrating pitchers in the league. He turned in his 3rd start with a Game Score over 80 in this one, allowing only 3 hits over 9 innings. But he also has four starts this year with a Game Score below 30. And it’s hard to build a rotation around someone that mercurial: the 87 pitch gem he threw today merely improved his record to 9-12 with an above-league-average 4.80 ERA.

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss was the hard-luck loser here, giving up a single to Stan Musial to lead off the bottom of the 9th. Knauss was replaced by Trevor Hildenberger, who surrendered a deep fly to Ducky Medwick, scoring Jack Rowe, who had pinch-run for Musial.

BRK 0 (Knauss 11-5) @ KCM 1 (Hamlin 9-12)
HRs: none.
Box Score

Two more season finales of note.

#Philadelphia Stars @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 4

Memphis‘ Bill Doak turned in a strong start, but Philadelphia used a late comeback to force extra innings in this one. The game entered the 9th inning tied at 2, but a homerun by one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia, young RF Aaron Judge, gave the Stars a 1 run lead.

It wouldn’t last, as Memphis’ Claude Ritchey followed up a Vern Stephens sacrifice fly with a 2-run triple, putting the Red Sox up, 5-3 with their closer, Jonathan Papelbon taking the mound in the top of the 9th. Papelbon was hit hard: a single by Juan Samuel was followed by a triple from Willie Davis and a double from Bobby Abreu, tying the contest at 5.

Sammy Sosa–who is playing fantastically for Memphis after being brought over from the House of David–singled to lead off the bottom of the 10th and eventually scored the winning run on a Manny Ramírez double.

PHI 5 (Howry 3-7; Rojas 2 B Sv) @ MEM 6 (Farrell 3-4; Papelbon 5 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Freeman (17), Judge (4); MEM – none.
Box Score

#Detroit Wolverines @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 4

Homeruns by Mike Trout and Steve Garvey helped the Angels to a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th, but a 2-out rally fueled by 2 walks, a wild pitch, and a 2 run single by Ty Cobb pulled Detroit back into the lead, 5-4. A sacrifice fly from Los Angeles’ Elmer Valo tied the game in the 8th, and the bullpens took over from there.

The 11th was eventful, as Oscar Gamble touched Francisco Rodríguez for a solo shot, giving Detroit a 1 run lead. The Wolverines turned to the league leader in saves, Mike Henneman, who promptly blew the game, allowing a single and 2 walks to load the bases, followed by a sharp single from Trout that allowed the winning run to score when Chili Davis‘ throw was wildly errant.

Gamble and Cobb had 3 hits each for Detroit; Trout and John Stearns had 3 hits for the Angels, with Trout driving in 4.

DET 6 (Henneman 1-6, 5 B Sv; Anderson 2 B Sv) @ LAA 7 (Venters 5-3; Smith 2 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: DET – Gamble (26); LAA – Trout (18), Garvey (3).
Box Score

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