PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #135
1962 Cleveland Indians (80-82) vs 1924 Boston Braves (53-100)
Credit to Mel McGaha who managed the 1962 Indians to 80 wins and did well with a group of players that played like a team, despite not being the deepest in talent. Joe Romano was one of those team leaders that helped the Indians play good baseball as the strong hitting catcher hit 25 home runs and lead the team with 81 RBI and an .842 OPS all while playing good defense. Tito Francona at first base was also a smart player who hit .272 with 70 RBI and 28 doubles and played almost every inning at the position. Jerry Kindal, hit only .232 at second base but did hit 13 home runs and 22 doubles but more was needed from him. At third Bubba Phillips was average at best hitting .258 with only a ,289 OBP and patchy defense at a key position. Woodie Held patrolled short stop and did draw 107 walks while hitting only .249. Chuck Essegian showed some pop with 21 home runs but most of them were with the bases empty but he still had a 133 OPS+ and was a valuable asset. Ty Cline and Willie Kirkland were liabilities mostly at the other outfield spots although Kirkland did have 21 home runs with 72 driven in in 137 games. Al Luplow played in the outfield in 97 games with 15 home runs while Don Dillard and Willie Tasby also tried but gave minimal value. Dick Donovan was a 20 game winner and the ace of the club with 15 complete games and 5 shutouts. Pedro Ramos also threw over 200 innings with a 3.71 ERA but a 4.81 FIP showing that he could be much worse then his numbers. Jim Perry ended 12-12 with a 4.14 ERA but in the long run may have been the second best arm on the team. Mudcat Grant was 7-10 with a 4.27 in 23 starts and Sam McDowell made 13 starts with a 4.89 FIP and 1.72 WHIP. Gary Bell saved 12 games but likely did not have the stuff for a closer while Frank Funk did better then Barry Latman as both pen arms got into over 40 games. Cleveland is sure to play hard and have a good draw against a 100 loss club in this series which obviously bodes well.
Thirty three year old player manager Dave Bancroft had a long season trying to man short stop and lead a club that was lacking in almost everything. One hundred losses was the result in a dark period for Boston baseball. Bancroft hit played in only 79 games and hit .279 while splitting time with Bob Smith who wasnt better hitting .228. Cotton Tierney at second base drove in 58 runs with 131 hits and 11 steals but his .296 OBP and 38 runs say it all. At first, Stuffy McGinnis was a veteran who hit .291 and knew how to handle the bat with 23 doubles and 59 RBI. Ernie Padgett at third had 25 doubles but only a .657 OPS and much like the rest of the team couldn't run very well at all. Bill Cunningham was in centerfield hitting .272 with 8 triples but was not an impact player. Frank Wilson hit from the left side and played right but played in only 61 games while hitting .327. The most interesting man was in left field and could talk your ear off. Casey Stengel hit .280 and did bring a winning mentality to a struggling team. He hit 20 doubles, 13 steals, and lead the team in OPS at .730; he also could really hit in the clutch. The catcher was Mickey O'neill who hit .246 and split time with Frank Gibson who was actually a .310 hitter, a rarity on this team. Gus Felix had over 200 atbats and Ray Powell close to it, however this team overall hit only .256 with a .306 OBP. Jesse Barnes carried most of the weight in the rotation with 267 innings and 21 complete games. He went 15-20 with a 3.23 ERA but he did have good command and was very tough to hit hard. The next best option for Bancroft was likely Johnny Cooney who from the left side was effective with a 3.18 ERA in 12 starts, two of them being shutouts. Joe Genewich started in started in 27 games but was just terrible with a 5.21 ERA although to his credit he did pitch in terrible luck and bad defense behind him. Tim Mcnamara was 8-12 in 21 starts with a 3.50 FIP and and 25 years old still showed quite a bit of promise. Al Yeargin was 1-11 in 12 starts and eventually was lost in the bullpen while Larry Benton and Red Lucas were the long relievers, who on this team, were used quite a lot. At 37 years old, Rube Marquard was in one of his last seasons, but still had some decent stuff in only three starts. The Braves were impressing no one both on the field then or on paper now, and a task to beat the Indians is indeed a tall one.
Game 1 At Cleveland Stadium
68 clear
1924 Braves......................3
1962 Indians......................1
WP: J. Cooney (1-0) LP: D. Rudolph (0-1) S: J. Barnes (1)
HR: C. Essegian (1), C. Tierney (1)
POG: Johnny Cooney
1924 Braves lead series 1-0
The Braves stun the Indians in the opener of the series as suprise starter Don Rudolph pitched well but took the loss. Johnny Cooney went 8 strong innings for Boston striking out six and walking none without ever really looking in trouble other then a Chuck Essegian solo home run. A two run 5th for the visiting side was the difference with Cotten Tierney adding a home run.
Game 2 At Cleveland Stadium
Rain 53
1924 Braves.....................0
1962 Indians.....................2
D. Donovan (1-0) LP: S. Graham (0-1)
HR: None
POG: Dick Donovan
Series tied at 1
Dick Donovan threw a complete game shutout allowing only four hits making very quick work of the Braves to tie the series. Casey Stengel hit an RBI single in the first inning and the game sailed right along until the home team added an insurance run in the 8th. Nearly 50,000 fans enjoyed the performance and the series now heads back to 1924 and Braves Field.
Game 3 At Braves Field
Clear 69
1962 Indians...................3
1924 Braves...................5
WP: J. Barnes (1-0) LP: B. Dailey (0-1)
HR: C. Stengel (1)
POG: Casey Stengel
1924 Braves lead series 2-1
The Braves ralled from a three run deficit to overtake the Indians and once again get the edge on the series. Joe Genewich had a 3-0 when he allowed a 2 run home run to Casey Stengel in the 6th inning but still carried a one run into the 8th. He got into quick trouble and Bill Dailey came in to try and put out the fire. A bases loaded double thatr scored three by Ray Powell was the biggest hit of the game putting the home side up two and indeed the lead would hold up. The 100 loss Braves have fought hard in this series and have come up with the big hits when needed.
Game 4 At Braves Field
Clear 69
1962 Indians......................0
1924 Braves......................2
WP: L. Benton (1-0) LP: B. Latman (0-1)
HR: None
POG: Larry Benton
1924 Braves lead series 3-1
The Braves have really played some excellent baseball and in game four, it was starter Larry Benton who throws a shutout striking out four and walking five on 118 pitches. Frank Gibson ripped an RBI single in the first inning and Bill Cunningham had an RBI double all the way in the seventh inning as the Braves continue to get timely hits when they needed them. Now the Braves look to close things out at home in game 5 and clearly now have the confidence that manager Dave Bancroft can take credit for.
Game 5 At Braves Field
Clear 53
1962 Indians......................0
1924 Braves......................2
WP: J. Cooney (2-0) LP: D. Rudolph (0-2)
HR: None
POG: Johnny Cooney
In what has been some of the best stretch of pitching we have seen, Johnny Cooney pitched a shutout to build on the shutout thrown by Larry Benton in game four, and complete this series in five. Cooney struck out 10 while allowing only 4 hits in what has become 24 straight shutout innings. Frank Gibson hit an RBI triple in the first inning for one of the two runs and the Indians would never match it. A great series to say the least from a 100 loss team.
1924 Boston Braves Win Series 4 Games To 1
Series MVP:
Johnny Cooney
(2-0, 0.59 ERA, 1 ER, 16 K, 0.52 WHIP, 3 BB)