AL Season Wrap-up
Over the course of the second half of the season, the Athletics never looked back and never held a lead of fewer than six games over the Red Sox. They cruised to 117 wins and a 5th straight pennant - their 6th pennant over the last seven seasons actually. The mighty Phillies dynasty that spanned from 1888-1902 won ten pennants over fifteen season and set the record of six consecutive pennants. If the A's win the pennant next season, they will tie that record.
As for this season, the A's have to do something that only one of those ten pennant winning Phillies teams had to do - win a World Series. So far the A's have won two of their five World Series. In fact, they lost the 1906 World Series to the Cubs and are hoping for some redemption. This Athletics team is much more powerful offensively than the 1906 version that lost to the Cubs. Interestingly, this World Series will pit the top offense from each league against one another. The biggest difference going into the Series is the fact that Oakland's pitching staff is deeper and has much more World Series experience. That said, Chicago has essentially been playing playoff games for a month now while the A's have coasted.
In Boston, slugger
Gavvy Cravath (.278, 64 HR, 136 RBI) tied his MLHR record from last season by hitting another 64 longballs this year. Otherwise, the Red Sox are still quite disappointed in their finish. They won 110 games but are bridesmaids to Oakland once again. Of note is the fact that
Tris Speaker (.350, 33 HR, 110 RBI) had another phenomenal season while
"Smoky Joe" Wood (20-7, 2.64 ERA) was likely the best pitcher in the AL this year and closer
Nick Altrock (5-1, 46 Sv, 2.46 ERA) had another fine season.
Standings
Batting Leaders
Pitching Leaders
National League Rosters
