Tag: Ted Kluszewski Page 2 of 3

Series preview here.

#Game One: Pete Alexander @ Nick Altrock

Pete Alexander suffered from what seemed to be a ton of rust on his return from the DL, even have gone through a rehab assignment. Alexander gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks in under 3 innings before being lifted, with 2 scoring on a double from Jimmie Foxx.

Despite the early lead, the Sea Dogs got some bad news when Dick Lundy had to leave the game with an apparent shoulder injury.

Philadelphia’s first threat came in the top of the 3rd when base hits from Aaron Judge and Ted Kluszewski put runners at the corners with 2 outs. But Nick Altrock was able to get José Ramírez to line out to right field to end the inning.

Pedro Guerrero increased the Sea Lions’ lead to 4-0 with his 22nd homerun of the year in the bottom of the 5th and Bobby Bonds made it 5-0 with an RBI single in the 7th, extending his hitting streak to 17 games.

But the story was Altrock, who finished with a 7-hit shutout, improving his record to 2-1 and lowering his ERA to 2.45.

PHI 0 (Alexander 2-7) @ SFS 6 (Altrock 2-1)
HRs: PHI – none; SFS – Guerrero (22).
Box Score

#Game 2: Steve Carlton @ Lefty Grove

Each team trotted its ace out in the second game of the series, with both Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton and San Francisco’s Lefty Grove carrying ERAs under 4.00.

A Pedro Guerrero sacrifice fly gave the Sea Lions a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. (Bobby Bonds extended his hitting streak to 18 games earlier in the inning.) A homerun from Sal Bando doubled the lead in the next inning, and a Rickey Henderson triple scored Roy Hartzell, making it 3-0.

Grove had a shutout through 5, but got into a bases loaded jam in the 6th. He got one out, but José Ramírez singled in a run to make it 3-1 and chase Grove, who gave way to Diego Seguí. Seguí gave up a sacrifice fly to Roger Peckinpaugh, but escaped with the lead intact, 3-2.

Scott Rolen took Seguí deep in the 7th to tie the game. Meanwhile, Carlton was excellent, blanking the Sea Lions into the 7th, when a single from Henderson chased him. Minnie Rojas relieved Carlton and, after Henderson stole second, gave up a single to Bonds. Reggie Jackson walked, but Rojas gave up a fly ball to LF to score a run, giving the Sea Lions a 4-3 lead.

Ramírez tied it up in the 8th with a fly that just cleared the right field wall.

In the bottom of the 9th, after Henderson singled, Bonds tried to bunt him to second (bad choice, that), but popped the ball to Rolen at third who doubled up Henderson. That effectively sent us to extra innings.

In the top of the 11th, Ramírez did it again: another fly to right that just cleared the fence to put the stars ahead, 5-4. The Stars were helped by an error by Bando, eventually pushing the lead to 7-4.

Which is how it ended: Bob Howry was stretched out, but nicely effective, allowing only 1 run in 3 innings to earn the victory.

PHI 7 (Howry 3-5) @ SFS 4 (Robinson 5-4; Seguí 1 B Sv; Howell 3 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Rolen (17), Ramírez 2 (8); SFS – Bando (2).
Box Score

#Game 3: Hardie Henderson @ Tim Hudson

Sometimes a single big inning wins the game; sometimes it doesn’t.

The Sea Lions touched Hardie Henderson for 6 runs in the bottom of the 2nd: 2 on a double from Mickey Cochrane, 1 on a Roy Hartzell single, and the rest on a 3 run blast from Reggie Jackson. And, despite losing Tim Hudson to injury early in the game, it seemed like it would hold up.

But the Stars slowly closed the gap: 6-1, then 6-3, then 6-4. A wild pitch here, a sacrifice fly there, and an RBI double from Sherm Lollar over there. All of which set the stage for the 7th inning. San Francisco’s bullpen was a bit worn out, which left Dave LaRoche in the game despite clearly tiring. Still, he had gotten 2 outs on strikeouts. But Scott Rolen took him deep to right for a 3-run shot that put the Stars on top, 7-6.

And that’s how it ended. Ray Collins danced through the 8th despite 2 baserunners and Claude Jonnard pitched a perfect 9th for his first save of the season.

Aaron Judge added 3 hits for the Stars, while Rickey Henderson had 4 knocks for the Sea Lions, raising his average to .270.

PHI 7 (Henderson 1-0; Jonnard 1 Sv; Collins 1 H) @ SFS 6 (LaRoche 1-2, 2 B Sv)
HRs: PHI – Rolen (18); SFS – Jackson (26).
Box Score

It looks like Hudson will only be sidelined a few days and should be good for his next start. Still no clarity for the Sea Lions on the status of Dick Lundy.

#Game 4: Larry Jackson @ Diego Seguí

Diego Seguí gets the start for San Francisco, looking to even the series. The Sea Lions considered pro-actively placing Dick Lundy on the DL in exchange for a fully rested starting pitcher, but decided to hold out hop that their young SS’s injury is less serious than feared.

Seguí looked rough at first, giving up hits to Willie Davis and Roger Peckinpaugh to start the game and score a run. But Pedro Guerrero‘s 23rd homerun of the season reset the game in a 1-1 tie. In the bottom of the 3rd, Rickey Henderson was hit by a pitch, stole second (his 84th steal of the year), and scored on a double from Bobby Bonds, which extended Bonds’ hitting streak to 20 games.

The Stars’ Larry Jackson was struggling: a single from Guerrero scored Bonds, and a single from Jack Clark and a walk to Sal Bando loaded the bases. But Jackson got Phil Garner to lift a soft ball into foul territory, where Peckinpaugh grabbed it for the final out.

In the end, the Sea Lions made the same mistake they did in game 3: Seguí was left in one batter too long, surrendering a 2-run shot to Aaron Judge to tie the game in the top of the 6th.

Jackson–who had settled down–was finally chased in the top of the 7th by hits to Roy Hartzell and Henderson. His replacement, Don Carman, induced a double play from Bonds to end the inning. And so we sailed on into extra innings.

Bobby Abreu led off the 10th for Philadelphia with his 3rd hit of the game, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a pinch-hit double from Ted Kluszewski. Klu scored on a sac fly, given the Stars a 2 run edge, 5-3. Their closer, Bob Howry, came in, which is always interesting. Howry has 24 saves, but also sports an ERA over 5.00 … he was facing the top of the Sea Lions’ lineup, and Henderson and Bonds started it off for San Francisco with back to back singles. Howry balked them to 2nd and 3rd, then gave up a deep, deep fly to center from Jackson, scoring Henderson and moving Bonds to third. A double from Guerrero (who ended the day with 3 hits and 3 RBIs) tied the game, and after Howry got the 2nd out of the inning, a single from Bando won it for the Sea Lions.

PHI 5 (Howry 3-6, 6 B Sv) @ SFS 6 (Robinson 6-4) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Judge (2); SFS – Guerrero (23).
Box Score

Series XXXII Preview: Philadelphia Stars @ San Francisco Sea Lions

By mknn

On May 16, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

We featured Philadelphia in Series VI and XVIII and San Francisco in Series IX and XV.

These two teams have had disappointing seasons, and while both at one point seemed on the verge of contention–especially San Francisco–they are each now well under .500, with Philadelphia tied for the 2nd-worst record in the WBL.

#Philadelphia Stars

Larry Jackson leads the Stars starters in wins at 10-7, but their best pitcher overall has probably been Steve Carlton, who is only 8-9 despite an ERA just under 4.00. Bob Howry has 24 saves, but an ERA of 5.62. Hardie Henderson has pitched well since being acquired, and has been moved into the starting rotation.

The Stars have some power, with 7 players in double figures in homeruns, led by 1B Ted Kluszewski‘s 21. Rico Carty leads the team in RBI while OF George Hendrick has the highest OPS at .867. The most intriguing thing about Philadelphia right now is probably OF Aaron Judge, who has responded to the opportunities afforded by Gavvy Cravath‘s departure with an .875 OPS to start his WBL career.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

There is talent here for sure: from Reggie Jackson, who is no longer a threat for the triple crown, but does lead the league in OBP, to Rickey Henderson who leads in steals, to Lefty Grove, the WBL leader in strikeouts. But a horrible 6 weeks in June and July have left the Sea Lions well adrift, over a dozen games out of first place.

Jackson leads the team in HR with 25, RBIs (79), and OPS (1.037). But he’s far from alone, with Bobby Bonds (319/382/507) and Pedro Guerrero (304/353/530) forming a formidable OF.

With Dick Lundy‘s return from injury and the early success of Phil Garner and Roy Hartzell, the Sea Lions returned slick fielding (but awful offensively) IF Miguel Cairo to AAA.

Grove is 12-7, and Eddie Plank–who may have pitched better than Grove–is 10-5. Rod Beck has 27 saves, and the Sea Lions’ setup men–Ron Robinson and Ken Howell–have been among the league’s best.

Bump Hadley has replaced Diego Seguí in the rotation.

#Projected Starters

Philadelphia starter listed first.

Steve Carlton (8-9, 3.93) @ Nick Altrock (1-1, 4.15)
Hardie Henderson (1-1, 3.94) @ Lefty Grove (12-7, 3.62)
Larry Jackson (5-6, 5.30) @ Bump Hadley (0-1, 4.91)
Don Carman (1-2, 5.75) @ Tim Hudson (9-6, 4.47)

TWIWBL 34.0: Series XXVII Notes

By mknn

On February 27, 2023

In TWIWBL

July 27th

Let’s Talk About D, Baby

While the rest of the league is buzzing with trade talk, let’s take a look at what the game tells us about flashing the leather. We’ll go by position, trying to get a sense of the best fielders in the league so far.

C (500 IP min)

Thurman Munson of the New York Black Yankees has over 150 more total chances than Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, having started 86 games behind the plate. That has to count for something. Of starting catchers, Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary leads in cERA with 4.08, and Cleveland‘s Louis Santop–yet to turn 20–leads the league in framing runs–1.2 ahead of Gibson. In terms of gunning down base runners, everyone is clustered around 33% or so–Emil Gross (Ottawa) was way up at 46%, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the league and Alan Ashby (Miami) has been excellent at 36% since taking over for Miami. Looking at all of that, it’s got to be Munson, Gibson, Blefary, or Santop, with apologies to Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench and the House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks.

	IP	TC	E	RTO%	cERA	FRM
C. Blefary (BAL)	599	401	11	29.4	4.08	-1.2
J. Gibson (HOM)	718	559	14	27.2	5.77	1.5
T. Munson (NYY)	765	719	5	33.0	4.72	-1.3
L. Santop (CLE)	624	542	2	32.6	4.20	2.7

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %; cERA = Catching ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved

I think Santop takes it, but I would be OK if Munson’s higher usage swung it to him.

1B (600 IP min)

Philadelphia‘s Ted Kluszewski has the best fielding percentage (.996), having committed only 3 errors, but trails well behind Dan McGann (BAL)’s league leading 10.20 Range Factor. Will Clark of the Miami Cuban Giants leads in Zone Rating at 3.3. So McGann makes the most plays overall, but Clark makes the most plays that other 1B miss.

	IP	TC	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Will Clark (MCG)	791	818	5	.994	9.25	3.3
Ted Kluszewski (PHI)	676	711	3	.996	9.43	1.0
Dan McGann (BAL)	749	854	5	.994	10.20	2.5
Bill White (MEM)	788	814	4	.995	9.25	1.8

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

It comes down to whether you think McGann’s RNG is more a product of his glovework or the superior Black Sox pitching staff. For me, Clark making plays nobody else in the league makes takes it.

2B (600 IP min)

Cleveland‘s Chuck Knoblauch and San Francisco‘s Jimmy Bloodworth each sport a .993 Fielding Percentage with only 3 errors each. The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has, by a fair bit, played the most at 2B, making his leading the league in Range Factor more impressive. The New York Gotham‘s Cookie Rojas leads in ZR, trailed by Chicago‘s Eddie Collins. Those are the contenders.

	IP	TC	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS)	753	423	3	.993	5.02	3.7
Eddie Collins (CAG)	715	390	5	.987	4.85	5.5
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE)	801	426	3	.993	4.75	-1.8
Cookie Rojas (NYG)	703	369	3	.992	4.68	6.5
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)	850	524	7	.987	5.48	0.8

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I can’t get away from Rojas. Behind him it’s rough: Collins makes some great plays, but Sandberg’s greater usage may give him the edge.

3B (600 IP min)

Mike Schmidt of the Black Yankees has the highest fielding percentage, Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon leads in Range Factor, and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has a massive edge in Zone Rating. It’s hard to put together.

	IP	TC	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Ron Cey (BRK)	808	221	6	.973	2.39	5.4
Anthony Rendon (OTT)	853	266	7	.974	2.73	1.8
Scott Rolen (PHI)	813	240	5	.979	2.60	8.5
Mike Schmidt (NYY)	677	193	3	.984	2.53	6.3

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

Rendon’s ZR confirms that his other stats are really a product of being on the field a lot. I think that leaves Rolen and Schmidt pretty much neck and neck.

SS (550 IP min)

The lower requirement is basically to allow Philadelphia’s Mickey Doolin to be listed. Homstead’s Arky Vaughan has played the most at SS, giving him roughly 20% more chances than the next few shortstops. Couple that with only 5 errors for a .990 PCT and Vaughan has to be in the argument. George Wright (Los Angeles) has a .995 PCT with only 2 errors, which is remarkable. Vaughan also leads in RNG, and is one of 3 SS with a ZR over 10, along with Detroit‘s George Davis and Kansas City‘s Ozzie Smith.

	IP	TC	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
George Davis (DET)	855	479	12	.975	4.91	13.0
Mickey Doolin (PHI)	597	343	5	.985	5.10	8.0
Ozzie Smith (KCM)	868	467	5	.989	4.79	12.5
Arky Vaughan (HOM)	884	520	5	.990	5.24	10.1
George Wright (LAA)	754	411	2	.995	4.88	9.8

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

You gotta’ give it to Wright, right? But after that, how do you figure out the difference between Smith and Vaughan? Smith is more spectacular, Vaughan more steady … I’ve always been a sucker for the spectacular.

LF (500 IP min)

Homestead’s Rick Reichardt has spent the most time out there, has the best RNG among qualifiers, and leads LFers with 10 OF Kills. Los Angeles’ Don Buford and Ottawa’s Phil Bradley are second with 6, so that’s quite a gap. There are six–SIX–LFers who qualify who are yet to make an error. Of those, only Brooklyn‘s Roy White and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble have positive supporting metrics as well. White has routinely pulled of the spectacular, making roughly 4 additional plays in LF than the Gotham’s Jimmy Sheckard and San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.

	IP	TC	A	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Phil Bradley (OTT)	552	121	6	0	1.000	1.97	-1.9
Don Buford (LAA)	629	144	6	3	.979	2.02	1.0
Oscar Gamble (DET)	535	118	2	0	1.000	1.99	1.5
Rickey Henderson (SFS)	689	173	5	3	.983	2.22	2.7
Rick Reichardt (HOM)	799	211	10	2	.991	2.35	-1.2
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG)	865	207	5	4	.981	2.11	2.6
Roy White (BRK)	865	204	2	0	1.000	2.12	6.7

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I think White has to get the nod here, and behind him it’s a bit f a jumble. Reichardt is far from spectacular, but he’s added twice as many cold, hard outs than the next contenders without many miscues, so he gets a nod despite the negative ZR.

CF (600 IP min)

The Gothams’ Willie Mays has 15 OF kills to lead the way, but of note is Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who has 13 in half the games. Griffey, currently at AAA, doesn’t qualify here, but what an arm! Baltimore’s Paul Blair has yet to make an error. Mays and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis make the most plays, with Blair, Mays, and Birmingham‘s Curtis Granderson leading in ZR.

There are others having strong years–Kansas City’s Willie McGee, Memphis’ Reggie Smith, and Detroit’s Chili Davis spring to mind–but it’s really between those initial four names.

	IP	TC	A	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Paul Blair (BAL)	801	303	8	0	1.000	3.40	9.0
Willie Davis (PHI)	781	323	7	2	.994	3.70	5.2
Curtis Granderson (BBB)	631	247	10	3	.988	3.48	6.4
Willie Mays (NYG)	899	381	15	2	.995	3.79	7.7

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

Mays and Blair seem the easy choices here.

RF (500 IP min)

RF is probably the most difficult of the OF spots to evaluate. The Gothams’ Johnny Callison leads in OF Kills, but with only 8. Callison is tied with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente in ZR, far, far ahead of the next cluster. Jeff Burroughs (POR) has yet to make an error, but the rest of his numbers aren’t terribly impressive. The House of David’s Dan Ford leads in RNG and is solid enough elsewhere.

The challenge is that several of the best in RF–Miami’s Alejandro Oms, Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston, and Ottawa’s Larry Walker–don’t qualify here. Walker especially draws the eye, with 7 Kills and great peripheral numbers. But all of them are under 400 innings.

	IP	TC	A	E	PCT	RNG	ZR
Johnny Callison (NYG)	671	181	8	1	.994	2.41	6.2
Roberto Clemente (HOM)	747	194	4	2	.990	2.31	6.2
Dan Ford (HOD)	542	160	5	4	.975	2.59	1.2

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating

I think it’s pretty clear that Ford is in third place here and I think it’s hard to push Clemente above Callison.

SP (100 IP min)

Sample size is clearly an issue here, but the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry had handled the most chances and leads in RNG. Jack Taylor (HOD) and Dutch Leonard (BRK) lead in ZR. Unwinding a pitcher’s responsibility for controlling stolen bases is hard, but since we know that, on the whole, the league runs about 33% in terms of cutting them down, we can look for who is far above that: Leonard shows up, but if we look at those with at least 10 attempts against them, we are looking at San Francisco’s Eddie Plank, Taylor, and Portland‘s Jerry Koosman.

	IP	TC	RNG	ZR	RTO%
Jerry Koosman (POR)	119	12	0.83	2.2	46
Dutch Leonard (BRK)	139	18	1.17	2.4	67
Gaylord Perry (NYG)	117	27	1.92	-0.5	21
Eddie Plank (SFS)	116	13	0.93	1.8	64
Jack Taylor (HOD)	142	21	1.26	2.5	56

IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %

I think this ends up going to Taylor and Leonard, but there will probably be more churn here than in other fielding evaluations between now and the end of the season.

Final Analysis

	Gold Glove	Silver Glove
C	Louis Santop (CLE)	Thurman Munson (NYY)
1B	Will Clark (MCG)	Dan McGann (BAL)
2B	Cookie Rojas (NYG)	Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
3B	Scott Rolen (PHI)	Mike Schmidt (NYY)
SS	George Wright (LAA)	Ozzie Smith (KCM)
LF	Roy White (BRK)	Rick Reichardt (HOM)
CF	Willie Mays (NYG)	Paul Blair (BAL)
RF	Johnny Callison (NYG)	Roberto Clemente (HOM)
SP	Jack Taylor (HOD)	Dutch Leonard (BRK)

Defense is so hard to evaluate, right? Despite being the only team with 3 players listed here, the Gothams aren’t at the top of any of the team fielding ratings.

Looking at overall mentions may be more interesting–here is the list of players considered above, by team.

5 – New York Gothams
4 – Homestead; Philadelphia
3 – Baltimore; Brooklyn; House of David; San Francisco
2 – Cleveland; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York Black Yankees; Ottawa
1 – Birmingham; Chicago; Kansas City; Memphis; Miami; Portland
0 – Houston

Yeah, not any better actually. The Gothams are among the best teams in the league, but both Homestead and Philadelphia are most decidedly not.

Defense. Shrug.

Performance

Batters

Top 2 in each stat, leader in bold.

Dick Allen (CAG). 310/380/544. 10 3B.
Johnny Bench (IND). 314/421/608. 5.2 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/407/649. 31 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/460. 35 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 350/390/572. 134 H.
Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/539. 81 R.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 284/370/474. 35 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/383/335. 76 BB, 72 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/376/591. 31 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 334/419/592. 81 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610.
Stan Musial (KCM). 332/391/594. 37 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 335/391/546. 135 H, 100 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 299/371/449. 72 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/429/643. 32 HR, 96 RBI, 85 R, 79 BB, 5.6 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/468. 10 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold.

17 pitchers have at least 10 wins, accounting for why we went deeper in ERA and WHIP this time. Have also included FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) for the first time, helping to unravel some of the mystery of Alejandro Peña.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-5, 4.07.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-4, 3.37. 1.15 WHIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. 1.18 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.75. 160 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.41. 155 K, 3.5 WAR.
Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.54. 3.24 FIP, 4.2 WAR.
Gaylord Perry (NYG). 8-7, 3.92. 3.54 FIP.
Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 6-6, 3.27.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 10-8, 3.35. 1.18 WHIP.

Relievers

Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold. 25 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-5, 3.09. 24 Sv.
Elmer Brown (POR). 3-4, 1.65. 7 Sv, 9 H.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.94. 28 Sv.
Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.45. 1 Sv, 3 H, 0.94 WHIP.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.17. 4 Sv, 7 H, 1.01 WHIP.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.81. 19 Sv, 0.97 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.62. 3 Sv, 10 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.73. 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.80. 14 H.
Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.80. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv, 1.02 WHIP.

Series Results

Series XXVII Sweeps

Baltimore over Philadelphia

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVII

Detroit over Miami
Kansas City over Los Angeles
Portland over Memphis
New York Gothams over San Francisco

Series XXVII Splits

House of David @ Birmingham
Houston @ Brooklyn
New York Black Yankees @ Chicago
Homestead @ Cleveland
Ottawa @ Indianapolis

TWIWBL 27.3: Series XXI Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 11, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

Tris Speaker, injured since spring training, comes off the disabled list for a rehab assignment at AAA. Speaker represents an interesting challenge for the Spiders, as Kenny Lofton has really claimed the CF job for his own.

#Homestead Grays

Billy Pierce heads back to AAA as Hal Carlson comes back from the DL, stepping into the rotation with Ray Brown moving to the bullpen.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s will be without one of their better players as 19 year old Oscar Charleston will miss a few weeks with plantar fasciitis. Pete Rose was recalled to take his place on the roster.

Indianapolis has decided to make an unusual move, turning to a 6-man rotation as a way to get Willie Mitchell some starts. It could be interesting, as it also means all of the rotation may be available in relief between starts.

#New York Black Yankees

The staff stays the same, but some roles change: Cole Hamels takes Jamie Moyer‘s spot in the rotation and Gary Lavelle was announced as the new closer for the Black Yankees, taking over from Sparky Lyle.

Still desperate to solve some issues on the infield, the Black Yankees released both OF Joe Harris and utilityman Craig Counsell, recalling the two Reds, Red Schoendienst and Red Rolfe. The roster construction is a bit fragile, so we’ll see how long it lasts.

#Philadelphia Stars

Steve Carlton threw a complete game, 5-hit shutout and Sherm Lollar went 4-for-4 with 4 RBI’s as the Stars blanked Ottawa, 6-0. Carlton improved to 5-6 on the season, striking out 7 and walking 4. Ted Kluszewski had 3 hits and the other 2 RBI for Philadelphia.

Larry Jackson and Bill Laskey both returned to AAA, with Pete Alexander returning from his rehab assignment and Minnie Rojas being promoted. Alexander moves back into the starting rotation. Roger Peckinpaugh returned to AAA, with Pinky Whitney coming to Philadelphia. Whitney will step into the starting lineup as the Stars have finally given up on Mickey Doolin‘s bat. The problem is that Whitney fields as well as Doolin hits.

TWIWBL 26.3: Series XX Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On June 23, 2022

In TWIWBL

#New York Blank Yankees

Red Ruffing became the league’s second starting pitcher to hit double digits, picking up his 10th victory with a 3-2 win over Indianapolis.

#Philadelphia Stars

Sherm Lollar had 4 hits and scored 3 times and Rico Carty and Ted Kluszewski had 3 hits each to lead the Stars to an 8-5 win over the House of David. Lollar and Kluszewski each went deep in support of Steve Carlton, who improved to 4-6 with over 5 strong innings. Bob Howry picked up his 17th save of the season.

Series XVIII Featured Matchup: Philadelphia Stars @ Indianapolis ABC’s

By mknn

On January 21, 2022

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game One: Robin Roberts @ David Price

Philadelphia’s Robin Roberts is pitching for his roster spot, coming into the game at 4-5 (not bad) with a 6.69 ERA (very bad).

Indianapolis’ David Price‘s first pitch was sent into the seats by Willie Davis for his 12th homerun of the year and extending his hitting streak to 15 games. Despite loading the bases, Roberts escaped the bottom of the first, leaving the score 1-0 in favor of the Stars after 1 inning.

Sherry Magee launched a fastball from Price into the left field seats in the top of the 4th extending the lead to 3-0. Roberts allowed at least one base-runner in each inning, but had a 4-hit shutout through 5 innings.

Price was chased from the game when he gave up his third homerun of the day, another 2-run shot, this one by George Hendrick for a 5-0 lead for Philadelphia.

Roberts ran out of gas in the 6th, giving up a run on a double by Hal Morris, but got out of the inning without further damage. Larry Jackson replaced him in the bottom of the 7th, trying to preserve the 5-1 lead.

The ABC’s loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th, but Jackson closed it out, and you have to imagine this performance keeps Roberts around a little longer.

Stars 7 (Roberts 5-5; Jackson 1 Sv) @ ABC’s 1 (Price 3-5)
HRs: PHI – Davis (12), Magee (5), Hendrick (8).
Box Score

#Game Two: Steve Carlton @ Rube Foster

Steve Carlton makes his return from the DL for the Stars in this one. He looked incredibly sharp, fanning four in 2 innings, until in the bottom of the 3rd, Edd Roush tripled home Joe Morgan to put Indianapolis up, 1-0. That was all Carlton gave up in his 5 innings of work, but Rube Foster was even better, allowing only 1 hit over that span.

Willie Davis would extend his hitting streak with a bloop double in the top of the 6th, and Sherm Lollar would plate the tying run with a single, scoring Mickey Doolin.

It stayed 1-1 from then on. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Ernie Lombardi singled, putting the winning run on first. Barry Larkin ran for the Schnozz, and Dave Henderson pinch hit for Davey Concepcíon, trying to win it for the ABC’s. Henderson delivered, with a hit through the right side moving Larkin to 3rd, bringing up the struggling Ed Charles. Dennis Menke pinch hit for Charles, but whiffed on a nice curveball from Rheal Cormier, sending us to extra innings in the rain.

The 9th was hard on Indianapolis in terms of their defense: the elected to surrender the DH, allowing Larkin to take the field.

Scott Rolen led off the top of the 12th with a double against Rob Dibble, who then walked Ted Kluszewski. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice from Buck Freeman, but Hendrick plated both runners with a base hit. Kluszewski was hurt on the slide, so the Stars went to the bottom of the 12th with Rolen in right and J.M. Ward at the hot corner.

Bob Howry gave up a hit to Bob Bescher and then a double to Morgan, putting the tying run on second with one out. Don Carman came in for Howry, and promptly balked in a run. But Carman was able to retire Edd Roush and Johnny Bench, ending a good game in the Stars’ favor.

Stars 3 (Howry 2-3; Carman 1 Sv) @ ABC’s 2 (Dibble 2-3)
HRs: None.
Box Score

#Game Three: Ray Collins @ Doc White

Indianapolis will try to get their first win of the season behind one of the hottest pitchers in the leagues, lefty Doc White. The Stars will counter with probably their most dependable arm so far this season, the 6-4 Ray Collins.

Two groundouts led to a run for Philadelphia in the top of the 2nd, with Buck Freeman scoring Scott Rolen, who had singled to leadoff the inning, giving the Stars an early 1-0 lead.

The ABC’s took the lead in the bottom of the frame, on RBIs from Barry Larkin (a groundout) and Bob Bescher (a single), making it 2-1 in favor of Indianapolis. The bottom of the ABC’s lineup added to the lead the next inning, with a double from Ernie Lombardi, and singles from Larkin, Bescher, and Ed Charles make it 6-1.

A leadoff single from Johnny Bench and a walk to Oscar Charleston chased Collins from the game, with the Stars bringing in Don Carman in a game that was quickly getting out of reach.

Meanwhile, White continued to pitch brilliantly, giving up only the 2 hits and 1 run through 5 innings. Sherry Magee would lead off the 6th with a homerun, but any immediate hopes of a Stars’ comeback were put to rest with a 2 run shot from Lombardi in the bottom of the frame.

White would leave the game after walking in a run in the 7th, but Willie Mitchell got Rico Carty to fly out to end the inning, leaving the score at 8-3, Indianapolis, which is how the contest would end.

Lombardi had 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and scored 3 times for the ABC’s, as they closed within a win of a series split.

PHI 3 (Collins 6-5) @ IND 8 (White 3-1; Mitchell 1 Sv)
HRs: PHI – Magee (6); IND – Lombardi (6)
Box Score

Game #4: John Montgomery Ward @ Dolf Luque

The ABC’s will look to Dolf Luque to manage a series split, while the Stars will counter with J.M. Ward. Both hurlers have been throwing excellently of late, so the potential for a well thrown game is there.

Indianapolis would score first, with Johnny Bench driving in Bob Bescher with a double in the bottom of the first. Meanwhile, Luque didn’t allow his first hit until José Ramírez singled to lead off the top of the fourth. In the bottom of that inning, Hal Morris blasted a 3-run homerun to increase the lead to 4-0.

With two outs in the 5th, Luque walked Mike Scioscia and gave up a double to Chase Utley, but Mickey Doolin struck out to end the inning and preserve the shutout.

Ward would escape a bases-loaded jam in the 5th, surrendering only 1 run to make it 5-0.

Bill Laskey relieved Ward, and promptly let the game get further out of hand, giving up Morris’ second longball of the game, another flurry of hits, and a homerun to Bench, making it 11-0.

That left the only suspense as whether Luque could complete the shutout. He had a 4-hitter through 8, but had thrown 124 pitches when he took the mound for the 9th. Doubles by Buck Freeman and pinch-hitter George Hendrick would end the shutout and Luque’s day.

Morris, Bench, and Oscar Charleston each had 3 hits for Indianpolis, combining for 8 runs scored, 10 RBIs, and 3 homeruns.

PHI 1 (Ward 3-4) @ IND 16 (Luque 6-5)
HRs: IND – Morris 2 (9), Bench (15), Charles (3)
Box Score

Series Stats

The blowout at the end skews a lot of the offensive numbers for Indianapolis, who were led by Hal Morris, who went 7-for-16 and Bob Bescher’s 6 hits.

For Philadelphia, George Hendrick was 5-for-14 and Willie Davis 6-for-18 to lead the offense.

Series XVIII Preview: Philadelphia Stars @ Indianapolis ABC’s

By mknn

On January 18, 2022

In Featured Series, Series Previews

We first met the Philadelphia Stars in Series VI and the Indianapolis ABC’s in Series X. Each team is struggling a bit, but each has the potential to make a move in the second half of the season.

#Philadelphia Stars

The Stars are 2 games under .500, sitting at 34-36, 7 games behind the New York Black Yankees in the Effa Manley Division.

They’ve actually played worse than that, and are outperforming their projections by four games–the most in the league. This is borne out in their stats: this is a below average team in everything except fielding and, perhaps, homerun power.

The real problem is that the Stars lack stars. To wit: no Star batter has an OPS over .900, but 6 of them are contributing solidly in the .800’s. This wasn’t always the case, but Rico Carty has hit a cold spot, with only 1 hit in his last 20 at-bats, dropping his slash line to 296/360/483. Not bad, but not where he was.

Still, the top four of the Stars’ lineup–Carty, Willie Davis, Gavvy Cravath, and Scott Rolen–are certainly good enough to play on a contender. Davis is tied with Ted Kluszewski for the team homerun lead with 11, Cravath leads the team in RBI with 38. The middle infield remains a bit of a mess for Philadelphia, with Mickey Doolin‘s sub .600 OPS causing him to lose playing time to José Ramírez at SS and 2B Chase Utley continuing to struggle after a hot start to the season.

The only regular member of the rotation with a winning record is Ray Collins, who has been pretty spectacular with a 3.44 ERA but only a 6-4 record. Jaret Wright has been surprisingly good (3-3, 3.83 ERA), and Larry Jackson (3-2, 4.06 ERA) has shown some promise. But Robin Roberts is on the verge of being sent to AAA, as is Don Carman, and Steve Carlton has just returned from injury. All that mediocrity is offset by the back end of the bullpen, which has been among the league’s best, with Ron Reed serving as a fantastic setup man for Bob Howry, who has 16 saves despite an ERA just over 5.00.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s are 1.5 games behind Philadelphia, but are roughly the same offensively, and a notch better on the mound … go figure.

C Johnny Bench is clearly their best player, slashing 289/399/569 while leading the team in homeruns (14) and RBIs (38). But CF Edd Roush–who moved into the starting lineup a few weeks ago–has an OPS pushing .900 and both IF Dennis Menke and young OF Oscar Charleston are solid contributors.

The challenge is at the other end. SS Davey Concepción has barely nudged his OPS over .600, 3B Ed Charles is on a cold streak that has seen his productivity plummet, and while Bob Bescher has stolen 23 bases, he offers little else.

Joe Morgan‘s return from injury offers some help, but it feels like the ABC’s really need to turn over more of their lineup to make a move.

The ABC’s’ pitching has been solid across the board, but one of the established starters (Johnny Cueto, Dolf Luque, and Rube Foster) really need to step up. Cueto is the only one of those three with a winning record at 6-4, but Luque and Foster have probably pitched better. If that happens–and if either Doc White (having just moved into the rotation with a 2.79 ERA) or Willie Mitchell (1.19 ERA in mostly relief work) can successfully step into the rotation–the ABC’s have a shot. The back end of the bullpen has been solid, with Rob Dibble leading the way with 12 saves.

#Series Matchups

Philadelphia starter listed first.

Robin Roberts (4-5, 6.69) @ David Price (3-4, 4.10)
Ray Collins (6-4, 3.44) @ Rube Foster (4-4, 4.11)
J.M. Ward (3-4, 5.02) @ Doc White (2-1, 2.79)
Jaret Wright (3-3, 3.83) @ Dolf Luque (5-5, 4.10)

#Series Prediction

Lessee … I think Roberts struggles again, earning a ticket to AAA, and the Stars win the other 3 games, taking the series, 3-1.

Series XVI Featured Game: Philadelphia Stars @ Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On November 17, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

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

#Philadelphia Stars @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TWIWBL 13.3: Series XI Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On August 10, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

The Spiders 8-3 win over Chicago could be important for their season. Whit Wyatt produced another fine performance, Stan Coveleski improved to 3-0 with 2.2 innings of perfect relief, Ron Blomberg continued his fantastic season with his 10th homerun and a 2-for-5 day at the plate, Louis Santop went 3-for-4, and, perhaps most importantly, Larry Doby also went 3-for-4, dragging his average closer and closer to .200.

2 hits and 2 RBIs from Jake Stahl backed another good start from Bill Steen in a 5-2 win for Cleveland. Steen had to leave with a back injury, but he looks like he won’t miss more than about a week. The win went to Hardie Henderson in relief, despite his allowing both of Chicago’s runs.

Steen was put on the DL, with Doug Corbett recalled from AAA.

#Homestead Grays

Hal Carlson and Bartolo Colon combined to blank the House of David on 6 hits, 5-0. The Grays were powered by an unlikely source, as Rick Reichardt went 3-for-5 with 4 RBIs, hitting 2 homeruns on the day. Davey Johnson had 2 hits, and Peaches Graham threw out 3 baserunners in the game.

2 homeruns, 3 hits, 4 runs, and 6 RBIs from Mike Epstein and a strong start from Vean Gregg led the Grays in an 11-2 romp over the House of David. Gregg improved his record to 3-4 with 7.2 strong innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

It looked like a 3-run pinch-hit homerun by Portland’s Gil Hodges had resigned the ABC’s to defeat in the series opener, but they came back with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the 8th for an 8-5 victory led by Jake Stenzel‘s 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Light hitting SS Davey Concepcion added a key 2-run double, and Lefty James–despite giving up a lead–got the win, moving to 3-1, with Rob Murphy picking up his 3rd save.

Rob Dibble blew his second save of the year, but a key pinch single from Edd Roush set up a sacrifice fly from Hal Morris in the bottom of the 9th to give Dibble his second victory of the season. Johnny Cueto put in a strong shift: 7 innings, 4 hits, only 1 earned run, but wasn’t part of the decision.

In the series finale, Danny Hoffman hit 2 homeruns, Joe Morgan had 3 hits, and Oscar Charleston had 3 RBIs in a 10-2 victory. Rube Foster improved his record to 4-2 with 8 strong innings.

#Philadelphia Stars

The Stars blew open a tight game with 5 runs in the 7th en route to an 8-2 victory over Detroit. Philadelphia had 19 hits–16 of which were singles–with Sherry Magee going 4-for-6 with 3 RBIs and Buck Freeman, Scott Rolen, George Hendrick, and Jose Ramirez each adding 3 hits. Don Carman–hit pretty hard in his WBL debut–got the start, and did OK, giving up 7 hits, but only 1 run, in 4.2 innings. Rheal Cormier moved to 4-0 with 2.1 innings of 1 hit relief.

The middle of the Stars’ lineup–Rico Carty, Ted Kluszewski, and Freeman–powered the Stars to an 8-6 victory in the series finale. The trio went 8-for-14 with 6 runs scored and 6 RBIs, and Carty and Kluszewski both went deep. Pete Alexander struggled through 6 innings, but got the victory, and Bob Howry picked up his 12th save of the year.

TWIWBL 10.3: Notes from Series VIII – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 6, 2021

In TWIWBL

With two rainouts, the Spiders and the Grays ended up playing two doubleheaders. The losing team scored 1 run … combined. Three shutouts, and a 3-1 victory, as each twin bill was split.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cy Young delivered a complete game, 4-hit shutout to take the second half of the first doubleheader against Homestead, striking out 5 and evening his record at 2-2. Cleveland’s offense was led by John Ellis, who had 3 hits and a homerun, with Ron Blomberg and Bill Knickerbocker adding 2 hits apiece in the 8-0 victory.

Whit Wyatt opened the second doubleheader by combining with Chuck Porter and Terry Adams on a 6-hit shutout. Wyatt improved to 2-1 and brought his ERA under 3, but he also walked 7 in 7.2 innings, making the performance a little less impressive than it may seem.

#Homestead Grays

Vean Gregg and Stan Bahnsen combined on a 5-hit shutout in the first game of the series against Cleveland. Gregg pitched 7.1 innings, improving his record to 2-3, and Bahnsen followed with a perfect 1.2 for his first save. Davey Johnson had 3 hits and drove in 2, and Pops Stargell had 2 hits for the Grays.

Corey Kluber continues to improve his performances, but not his results: Kluber went 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs in the opening game of the second doubleheader, but fell to 0-6 on the season.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Danny Hoffman delivered a 3-run homerun in the top of the 9th against Ottawa’s closer Tom Henke, giving the ABC’s a 5-2 comeback win. Hal Morris added 2 hits, and Red Faber, despite not being involved in the decision, had a strong start. The win went to Lefty James, his first of the year, and Rob Dibble picked up his 5th save.

The last game of the series was almost a contender for the featured game. Indianapolis blew the game open in the fifth inning, scoring 5 runs, keyed by a 2-run double from Oscar Charleston and a 2-run single from Edd Roush (Roush had replaced Jake Stenzel, who was tossed for arguing ball and strikes in the first inning). Johnny Cueto was sailing along with one of the better games we’ve seen all year: a 2-hit shutout through 8 innings.

… and then came the 9th, with the ABC’s up, 9-0, thanks to 2 homeruns by Morris.

Cueto walked Tim Raines and Anthony Rendon, but got Freddy Parent to fly out to center for the first out. And then the wheels fell off: Carlos Delgado and Phil Bradly sandwiched RBI singles around a bases-loaded walk to Terry Puhl, and Cueto left the mound, still up 9-3.

Indianapolis called on the controversial Bronson Arroyo, who made waves by refusing to be sent to AAA despite a horrific season to date. Arroyo was as inefficient as ever this year: a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, an RBI single to Ken Griffey, Jr. and a pinch hit homerun to Gary Carter made the score 9-7 … but Arroyo finally ended the game with a groundout from Raines.

Arroyo was waived after the game, with Doc White–who had dominated AAA–being recalled.

#New York Black Yankees

New York salvaged a split in their series with Chicago thanks to 3 RBIs each from Don Mattingly and Thurman Munson, and 3 hits from Mike Schmidt. Each of them–as well as Lou Gehrig–went deep in the 12-6 win, which went to Lady Baldwin for 3.1 innings of 1-run relief of a hugely ineffective Dave Righetti.

#Philadelphia Stars

Jaret Wright had been hit hard in his first 5 WBL appearances, so there wasn’t much optimism when he was pressed into an emergency start in the Stars’ final game against Baltimore. Wright responded with 6.1 innings of 1-run ball, surrendering only 1 run to the Black Sox. Philadelphia made it stand up, winning the game 6-4 behind key 5th inning RBIs from Gavvy Cravath and Ted Kluszewski. Bob Howry picked up the save, his 9th, while Pedro Feliciano continued to collapse out of the bullpen. Feliciano gave up 3 runs in less than an inning, and is likely to lose his setup role as his ERA balloons close to 12.