November 1, 1931
Code:
NATIONAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
NORTHERN
Boston 96 58 .623 --
Brooklyn 80 74 .519 16
Philadelphia 77 77 .500 19
Pittsburgh 76 78 .494 20
New York Y 71 83 .461 25
New York G 66 88 .429 30
MID-EAST
Washington 88 66 .571 --
Cincinnati 83 71 .539 5
Cleveland 80 74 .519 8
Baltimore 77 77 .500 11
Detroit 68 86 .442 20
Milwaukee 62 92 .403 26
AMERICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS
CONTINENTAL
Seattle 90 64 .584 --
Kansas City 75 79 .487 15
Chicago W 74 80 .481 16
St. Louis 70 84 .455 20
Chicago C 69 85 .448 21
Portland 66 88 .429 24
PACIFIC
Oakland 96 58 .623 --
San Francisco 86 68 .558 10
Hollywood 82 72 .532 14
Sacramento 77 77 .500 19
Los Angeles 73 81 .474 23
San Diego 66 88 .429 30
For a while, it looked like there would be at least one spirited fight for a division championship during the hot summer months of 1931, but in the end, baseball fans were left to entertain themselves with the exploits of individual stars. By late August, the division races were settled for good.
The Pacific contest was the most intriguing one. On August 1, the
Oakland Oaks led the
San Francisco Seals by a single game. The Seals caught the Oaks within a week, and on August 17, led them by two full games. Then, the Oaks caught fire; a 15-4 record in September allowed them to secure the flag by a ten-game margin.
In the Continental Division, only the
Seattle Rainiers managed a winning record, and they cruised to the title by fifteen games.
The National League Mid-East Division was fun to watch for a while. The
Washington Senators caught and passed the
Cincinnati Reds in mid-July, opened up a five-game lead, and held it to the finish. Meanwhile, in the Northern Division, the
Boston Red Sox got hot in July and August while the
Brooklyn Dodgers wilted, and the Red Sox won the division with ease.
The NLCS featured a classic matchup between the Red Sox' arms and the Senators' bats. This time the hitters prevailed, as the Senators swept the series in four games. The ALCS was closer, as Seattle fought gamely before falling to the Oaks in six.
The National League champions from Washington led both leagues with 166 home runs and a lofty .813 team OPS. 1B
Jim Bottomley, 2B
Charlie Gehringer, 3B
Jason Alexander, LF
Mule Suttles, and RF
Bob Fothergill led a robust batting order that came to be known as the "Capital Punishers." Alexander narrowly lost the batting title to the Red Sox' Maurice Archdeacon, while Bottomley and Suttles were among the league's home run leaders.
The Oaks were led by AL
Outstanding Pitcher Ad Liska, who led his league in victories and ERA. Liska and his teammats were both saddened and inspired by the loss of
Randall Malone, who ruptured his biceps tendon on August 1. Malone, who had a record of 15-7 and a 2.84 ERA at the time, was told by doctors that his career was over. He finished with a lifetime record of 182-154.
With Liska winning twice and young infielder
Luke Appling delivering timely hits, the Oaks redeemed themselves for their 1930 postseason struggles by winning the World Series, 4 games to 2. Malone, his arm bandaged but his spirit undaunted, celebrated the victory with his teammates.
Two of the classiest men in the game celebrated landmark victories during the summer of '31. On August 9, the Indians'
Jim Jessup took the mound against the Milwaukee Braves, looking for career victory #200. Not only did Jessup pitch well--he allowed two runs on only six hits over nine innings--but he lashed five singles and a triple in six at-bats to spark a 12-2 Indians victory. "I'm as thrilled about the six-for-six as I am about the 200th win," exclaimed Jessup, a lifetime .155 batter who had never hit a triple.
Mike Crawford of the Orioles won #200 on September 17, also victimizing the hapless Braves. The soft-spoken ace received a standing ovation from adoring Baltimore fans as he left the mound. Crawford's lifetime 2.84 ERA is the lowest in major league history.
The Philadelphia Phillies were a middle-of-the-road team, with a record that landed exactly on the .500 mark. However, their young righthander,
Tommy Bridges, was far from mediocre in 1931. He won the
Outstanding Pitcher Award, finishing second in the league in ERA and strikeouts, and winning 20 games.
Pittsburgh's
Lou Gehrig won his second Outstanding Batter award, leading the NL in home runs, slugging, OBP, and OPS.
Chuck Klein of the Portland Beavers won the American League triple crown, with a .360-42-131 line and, not surprisingly, his second straight AL Outstanding Batter prize.
The surname
"Dickey" has long brought smiles to the faces of Brooklyn fans, who have cheered the exploits of their beloved first baseman,
Mike. Now they have a second player by that name to cheer: backstop
Bill, who won the
National League Rookie of the Year Award with a .288-10-64 season.
His counterpart in the American League was the Cardinals'
Ripper Collins, who played both first base and the outfield and hit .356-9-53.
And, in the year's most unusual development, Pittsburgh infielder
Tony Lazzeri was sidelined for two weeks with dead arm syndrome. That in itself didn't seem strange, until Tony revealed he'd hurt himself skipping stones.