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Pool 5 final standings
Final standings after 10 seasons of play (pennants and championships in parentheses):
--- 2019 Astros .557 (3-1)
10 1911 Giants .551 (5-3)
21 1969 Twins .544 (4-2)
27 1970 Orioles .540 (2-1)
41 1953 Dodgers .531 (1-0)
50 2017 Dodgers .525 (3-1)
60 1909 Cubs .518
79 2018 Dodgers .506 (1-1)
81 1936 Yankees .505
96 1907 Cubs .495
100 1903 Pirates .492
136 1934 Tigers .469
167 1922 Giants .449 (1-1)
171 1938 Yankees .446
176 1974 Dodgers .443
192 2013 Red Sox .432
Alex Bregman (.294, 32 HR) earned his third MVP as the 2019 Astros won 90 games in the final season and finished atop Pool 5 with a .557 win percentage, tied for fifth-best in pool play so far.
Justin Verlander was also a force for the ‘Stros, finishing second in balloting for the top pitcher in the pool. Yordan Alvarez and Bregman were sixth and seventh in pool MVP voting.
The 1911 Giants won the final championship to claim second place in the pool, 11 games back. Larry Doyle finished third in League 1 MVP voting, placing fifth in the Pool 5 MVP vote. Red Ames was second in voting for top pitcher in the league, with Christy Mathewson fifth.
The surging 1969 Twins finished third, having risen from a sub-.500 eighth place after three seasons. Harmon Killebrew finished fourth in pool MVP voting. He was joined by three teammates among the top 15 MVP vote-getters in League 2. Killebrew was second, Rod Carew 11th, Rich Reese 13th (after winning the final MVP with a .326, 40 HR performance) and Tony Oliva 15th. The Twins also had two of the league’s top 10 pitchers in Dave Boswell (5th) and Jim Perry (8th).
The 1970 Orioles, who led through the first seven seasons, slid all the way to fourth, but finished with a robust .540 win percentage. Merv Rettenmund was second in pool MVP voting, and Jim Palmer was sixth in balloting for the pool’s top pitcher.
Nine teams from the pool finished comfortably above .500, and are assured spots in the 48-team Semifinals.
The 1909 Cubs, 1936 Yankees and 2017 Dodgers were expected to advance, and did. Lou Gehrig (Yanks) was voted pool MVP, and teammate Bill Dickey finished third. (The 1938 version of Dickey was 11th.) Three-Finger Brown (Cubs) was named the pool’s top pitcher after winning eight seasonal Pitcher of the Year awards, and Orval Overall was fourth in the voting.
Two teams advancing to the Semis could be described as “mild surprises” – the 1953 Dodgers and 2018 Dodgers. Roy Campanella was ninth in pool MVP voting for the ’53 squad.
The two most disappointing performances in the pool were by the 17th-seeded 1938 Yankees (.446) and 29th-seeded 1903 Pirates (.492).
Most Valuable Players
Ranked by total MVP votes. Number of seasonal awards listed after team.
1185 Lou Gehrig (1936 Yankees) 1
1157 Merv Rettenmund (1970 Orioles) 3
1076 Bill Dickey (1936 Yankees) 2
1076 Harmon Killebrew (1969 Twins) 2
931 Larry Doyle (1911 Giants) 1
824 Yordan Alvarez (2019 Astros)
798 Alex Bregman (2019 Astros) 3
751 Honus Wagner (1903 Pirates) 1
734 Roy Campanella (1953 Dodgers) 1
693 Jimmy Wynn (1974 Dodgers)
688 Bill Dickey (1938 Yankees)
546 Joe DiMaggio (1938 Yankees)
518 Justin Turner (2017 Dodgers)
512 Charlie Gehringer (1934 Tigers)
484 Hank Greenberg (1934 Tigers)
Most Valuable Pitchers
Ranked by total Pitcher of the Year votes. Number of seasonal awards listed after team.
979 Three-Finger Brown (1909 Cubs) 8
639 Justin Verlander (2019 Astros) 4
432 Red Ames (1911 Giants) 3
376 Orval Overall (1909 Cubs)
366 Jack Pfiester (1907 Cubs) 1
255 Jim Palmer (1970 Orioles) 1
229 Deacon Phillippe (1903 Pirates)
224 Christy Mathewson (1911 Giants)
187 Carl Lundgren (1907 Cubs) 1
155 Schoolboy Rowe (1934 Tigers) 1
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