July 1, 1921
Athletics use Speaker, Johnson to vault over Browns in two team American League race.
Much like the 1920 season, the American League pennant race is already down to two teams. Just like last year at this same time, the Philadelphia Athletics lead the St. Louis Browns, but this year, the margin is only 5 games as opposed to the 7 and a half games at the midway point last season.
Once again, the Athletics are being led by two of the best players in baseball. Both Tris Speaker and Walter Johnson are having great seasons, with Speaker hitting .320 with 6 homeruns and 55 runs batted in, and Johnson winning 14 games with a 2.51 ERA. They have gotten help from the other players on their team as well. Sam Rice is leading the team in batting at .332, while George Kahler has 11 wins and a major league leading 2.13 ERA.
In St. Louis, Christian Gray is having the season of his life, leading the major leagues with a .385 batting average, but aside from Jack Tobin and his 50 runs batted in, the Browns' normally potent offense has been quiet so far this year. The one place where they could catch the Athletics is with their pitching. Rube Benton, Harry Moran and Joe Wood all have 10 or more wins, and Charlie Becker has recovered after a slow start. If Philadelphia falters again down the stretch, the Browns could be there once again to pick up what the Athletics drop.
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American League Standings
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Philadelphia (A) 48 24 .667 - 46-26 2 23-11 25-13 5-5 13-6 63 W5 7-3
St. Louis (A) 44 30 .595 5.0 49-25 -5 22-13 22-17 7-4 9-9 - W1 3-7
Boston (A) 35 37 .486 13.0 30-42 5 20-15 15-22 3-3 15-9 - W1 5-5
Washington 36 40 .474 14.0 40-36 -4 19-22 17-18 3-2 10-12 - L2 6-4
Detroit 35 39 .473 14.0 32-42 3 16-23 19-16 3-1 10-8 - W1 4-6
Cleveland 34 39 .466 14.5 36-37 -2 19-16 15-23 1-3 8-15 - L1 7-3
Chicago (A) 32 40 .444 16.0 32-40 0 16-20 16-20 2-4 8-10 - L1 5-5
New York (A) 30 45 .400 19.5 31-44 -1 14-25 16-20 2-4 8-12 - L1 2-8
Late June collapse by Pittsburgh leads to Robins taking control of wide open National League pennant hunt.
Before the last two weeks of June, it looked like the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants would be involved in a two team chase for the National League pennant. Now, with both teams in the middle of horrible slumps, just about every team in the National League has a chance to get back into the race, and the Brooklyn Robins have actually taken command of first place.
The Robins have gotten probably the best production possible out of their batting order, where only two players are not hitting over .300, and one of them is Ken Williams, who had an absolutely horrific start to the season, but has bounced back nicely in the last month. Eddie Collins leads the team with a .356 average, and also had a National League record 28 game hitting streak throughout May and June. Their pitching is a concern with just Fin Wilson having over 10 wins, but with the offense producing like they are, they can score enough runs to beat almost anyone.
In New York and Pittsburgh, no one is sure what is going on, but fans are getting quite concerned over both teams' recent struggles. The Giants are doing fine on offense, with the usual suspects of Adamson, Feldbush and Saier leading the way, but their pitching has been shaky at best this season. Ludwig Van Cleef has just 8 wins and an ERA over 4, which is a major cause for concern. In Pittsburgh, there is even more confusion. Billy Southworth and Amos Strunk both are hitting over .330, and their pitching staff has three pitchers with 10 or more wins starting for them this season. Most are convinced that it's only a matter of time before Pittsburgh comes out of their funk, but they are less sure about the Giants. One thing is certain though; one of them had better come out soon, or the Robins, or even the surprising Chicago Cubs, may just run off with the pennant.
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National League Standings
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Brooklyn 40 31 .563 - 42-29 -2 22-13 18-18 5-3 16-9 67 W5 7-3
Pittsburgh 39 34 .534 2.0 37-36 2 16-17 23-17 5-2 11-11 - L8 2-8
Chicago (N) 38 35 .521 3.0 39-34 -1 24-15 14-20 5-3 16-14 - W4 6-4
New York (N) 38 37 .507 4.0 40-35 -2 20-15 18-22 5-5 13-15 - L5 3-7
Boston (N) 36 37 .493 5.0 35-38 1 19-17 17-20 4-4 8-9 - W2 7-3
St. Louis (N) 35 38 .479 6.0 35-38 0 22-16 13-22 3-6 10-11 - L3 5-5
Philadelphia (N) 34 38 .472 6.5 31-41 3 19-17 15-21 3-4 9-10 - L2 3-7
Cincinnati 31 41 .431 9.5 32-40 -1 16-23 15-18 1-4 9-13 - W6 6-4
Players of the Month
American League
April
Batter of the Month: Babe Ruth (CHA)- .339, 7 HR, 19 RBI
Pitcher of the Month: Harry Moran (SLA)- 37 IP, 3-0, 1.46 ERA
May
Batter of the Month: Hack Miller (BSA)- .402, 6 HR, 26 RBI
Pitcher of the Month: Walter Johnson (PHA)- 62 IP, 6-1, 2.76 ERA
June
Batter of the Month: Frank Gilhooley (CLE)- .463, 4 HR, 21 RBI
Pitcher of the Month: Walter Johnson (PHA)- 59 IP, 6-1, 2.14 ERA
National League
April
Batter of the Month: Stuart Adamson (NYG)- .415, 5 HR, 18 RBI
Pitcher of the Month: Pete Schneider (PIT)- 45 IP, 5-0, 1.80 ERA
May
Batter of the Month: Michael Feldbush (NYG)- .449, 3 HR, 13 RBI
Pitcher of the Month: Bill James (PIT)- 71 IP, 6-2, 2.79 ERA
June
Batter of the Month: Deke Taggart (SLN)- .381, 7 HR, 24 RBI
Pitcher of the Month: Orlie Weaver (SLN)- 27 IP, 3-0, 1.33 ERA