Season #12
May Review
Awards
Batter of the month: Ted Williams - 41 Red Sox (.409, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 32 R in month of May)
Pitcher of the month: Schoolboy Rowe - 36 Tigers (5-0, 55 IP, 20 K, 2.62 ERA in May)
Injuries
Wally Berger - 39 Reds (entire season)
Ed Joost - 39 Reds (4 months)
Roger Clemens - 02 Yankees (4 months)
Albert Pujols hit three home runs in one game against the 2002 Yankees at Busch Stadium in a 13-3 win.
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Team Notes
1936 Detroit Tigers - After a 17 win month the Tigers came back in May and were even better winning 18 games. The club did lose some pitching depth when Jake Wade was lost for the season but Schoolboy Rowe and the staff and still capable with Rowe compiling an 11-1 record so far. The Tigers have a very impressive .380 OBP and are a sabermetric dream on the field. The Tigers are obviously the team to beat for the pennant.
2002 New York Yankees - The loss of Roger Clemens and the way he was throwing may be a blessing in disguise as the Yankees won 16 games in May. David Wells will take the Rockets place in the rotation as Mike Mussina leads the way with 7 wins. Alfonso Soriano has 44 RBI and Raul Mondesi has a surprising 9 home runs. The Yankees bullpen is best in the league lead by the 10 saves from Mariano Rivera.
1992 Toronto Blue Jays - David Cone continues his strong season as the Blue Jays have 30 wins in two months. Roberto Alomar is challenging Ted Williams for the batting title with his .390 average while Devon White has 41 RBI's from the leadoff spot. The Jays have the most steals in the league although they haven't played all that great on the turf at home. Todd Stottlemyre is pushing Jack Morris for a rotation spot as both men have struggled early on.
1939 Cincinnati Reds - The Reds were hit with the most injuries in the month but are hanging in well thanks almost entirely to their pitching. Ernie Lombardi has been doing more with his glove then with his bat and the Reds have the best defense in the league. The Reds finished the month losing 5 of 7 and have a losing record at Crosley Field. Milt Shoffner has adapted well to his role of closer and has won the close ones with 12 saves.
2005 St. Louis Cardinals - When So Taguchi is leading your team in hitting you know that the Cardinals are having issues on offense. Albert Pujols did have a big month and has double digit home runs but the support has been very unreliable. The Cards are only four games out of fourth and as the temperature warms up at Busch Stadium and players like Jim Edmonds and Larry Walker get over some small nagging injuries. The 5.61 bullpen ERA for the Cardinals isn't helping much at all.
1965 Baltimore Orioles - Brooks Robinson has bashed seven home runs and but the Birds have the worst offense in the league so far. Milt Pappas is dealing with a rotator cuff strain and will miss most of June with Dave McNally and Robin Roberts being stretched for innings. The .258 average for the Birds is lowest in the league and the nine stolen bases makes things even more predictable. Baltimore has won only 9 games on the road and the 60's era of Oriole baseball continues to disappoint.
1935 Chicago Cubs - The Cubs have a clean bill of health but the wins just haven't come. The team is hitting .305 but have been hit almost harder as teams have enjoyed the visitors box at Wrigley Field with 15 wins. The Cubs have lost 5 of 6 extra inning games and have a patchwork bullpen with no clear stopper. Gabby Hartnett and Stan Hack are high reputation players and the guess is that these Cubs will be pushed to get back in the race over the summer. The Cubs lost 5 of 6 to the 36 Tigers in May.
1941 Boston Red Sox - Ted Williams remains a joy to watch and still is a decent bet to hit .400. The Red Sox however have no poise or command on the mound and even had a game at Fenway where the Cubs scored 25 runs. Forty one year old Lefty Grove cant throw like he used to while Mickey Harris has a 6.48 ERA in a division that can really swing the bats. The Red Sox did win the last three games they played in May and have indeed scored the most runs in the league with 323.