A superb couple months by the lads, as we go a combined 36-16 to wrest the NL lead from the Giants.
Our +3 Pythag and 24-13 record in one-run and extra-inning games speaks volumes about how tight-knit this group has become and how well they have handled the pressure yet again.
What the group has done becomes even more extraordinary when you look at the seasons three of our main guys - Maz,
Arriba and Dick Groat - are having. None have been disastrous by any stretch, but each has suffered a noticeable dip in performance. If we can get them to turn things around and have Maris - who, regardless of which, has been fantastic again - at least accelerate his HR frequency over the remainder, then we have a decent chance of holding off the Giants.
While Pascual and Friend have been solid for the most part, the bottom half of our rotation - which has been vulnerable to fairly severe beatdowns that seem to come in bunches - remains a real concern, in particular the ongoing struggles of Johnny Podres. Countering this, however, has been a simply magnificent performance from the BP, led by Joe Gibbon, who wins both monthly Rookie awards and is actually tied for second at the club with 9 wins and leads both leagues with 17 Saves.
So it looks like the NL race is down to us and San Fran, although I wouldn't 100% rule the Cubs out just yet although they have a huge gap to make up.
Plenty of jockeying in the AL sees a big move from the As, winning 10 in a row as the Tigers backslide and the two switch places for a while, until the Yanks go on a tear and push past both of them. It goes on like this as if the three have conjoined into a king rat and it looks like this is set to continue to the finish line. The Twins, while close to it, aren't quite out of the race yet.
News, Leaders and Top 20s
Monthly Award Winners
June
American League
- Batter George Altman (Athletics): 340 / 9 HR / 26 RBI
- Pitcher Joey Jay (White Sox): 5-0 / 1.94 / 31 K / 51 IP
- Rookie Donn Clendenon (Twins): 354 / 5 HR / 14 RBI
National League
- Batter Bill White (Phillies): 390 / 8 HR / 29 RBI
- Pitcher Jim OToole (Cubs): 4-1 / 0.96 / 38 K / 46.2 IP
- Rookie Joe Gibbon (Pirates): 4-0 / 2.08 / 2 SV / 14 K / 17.1 IP
July
American League
- Batter Mickey Mantle (Yankees): 356 / 15 HR / 33 RBI
- Pitcher Roy Face (Angels): 3-0 / 3.15 / 7 SV / 10 K / 20 IP
- Rookie Bob Hendley (Tigers): 5-1 / 3.03 / 23 K / 35.2 IP
National League
- Batter Frank Robinson (Reds): 366 / 12 HR / 27 RBI
- Pitcher Jack Sanford (Giants): 5-0 / 1.95 / 31 K / 50.2 IP
- Rookie Joe Gibbon (Pirates): 3-1 / 1.33 / 7 SV / 13 K / 20.1 IP
Milestones and Observations of Note
- Ralph Terry of the Cubs has his season curtailed by an RC tear, same goes for Giants reliever Erv Palica, albeit courtesy of a torn labrum.
- The Indians lose rookie relief gun Jack Baldschun for the duration to shoulder impingement, while a finger injury shuts down White Sox reliever Lindy McDaniel until next year as well.
- In a nice bit of serendipity, oft-traded catcher Tim McCarver still to play his first game in the bigs ends up at the Cardinals along with Claude Raymond via a trade for Karl Spooner.
- The Salt Lake Gulls the Angels newly-minted AAA club takes no time settling in, winning 12 straight to move to the top of the standings, only to later regress and lose touch with the leaders. One of their players Dave Philley, who leads the vast majority of AAA offensive stat cats, becomes the first player to reach the 2000-hit plateau at that level.
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