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firstbigweekend · 05-14-2004, 10:39 AM

Cleveland Blues Update — Aug./Sept./Oct. 1902
By Chauncey St. John, Associated Press

CLEVELAND — After finishing July just short of the break-even mark, Cleveland went into a tailspin in August. The Blues had a 12-game losing streak in the first half of the month, and went 9-19 overall, falling to 62-74 and 18 games behind Boston.

Things weren't much better for Cleveland in September, as the Blues went 9-16 and fell another nine games behind the Americans. Cleveland won its lone game in October and finished 72-90, one game worse than the 1901 season.

"I don't know what happened those final two months," Cleveland general manager Levi Chronister said. "We were doing so well in June and July, and then the bottom just dropped out. I don't know if it was that our young guys weren't strong and conditioned enough or something else entirely. I just can't believe it."

Despite Cleveland's poor record over the final two months, the team did a few nice pitching performances during that time.

Bob Wicker pitched a four-hit shutout against Chicago (A) on August 2, and blanked Detroit on six hits Sept. 5. Cleveland's first-round pick before the season, Wicker finished the season 18-14 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts.

"I'm very pleased with Bob's showing," Chronister said. "There were few things from this season that I'll look back on fondly, but his gutty performance of jumping straight to the majors from college is definitely at the top of that list."

From August 19 to Sept. 9, George Mullin had a five-game winning streak with a 1.00 ERA, with all five wins being complete games. Mullin was named player of the week August 30 after going 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and seven strikeouts in two complete-game victories.

His winning streak came to an end Sept. 13 against Philadelphia (A), when he gave up six runs in eight innings.

Win Mercer, traded to Washington in late July as part of a deal for Mullin and center fielder Homer Smoot, pitched his third shutout of the season Sept. 2, blanking Cleveland on two hits.

"Well, the ball when where I wanted it. I was able to hit the corners with all my pitches," Mercer said, not mentioning whether he had any resentment against the Blues because of the trade.

Charlie Shileds, called up in late July after the trade with the Senators, struggled in his time with the Blues, going 3-13 with a 4.80 ERA in 16 starts. Shield did end his season on a high note, though, shutting out Chicago (A) on three hits Sept. 29.

Left fielder Jeffrey Schank played himself out of Most Outstanding Batter competition with a .237/.273/.355 line in September, but did set team record with 50 steals. He finished the season at .294/.360/.463.

Sam Crawford set the Cleveland single-season record for triples with his 13th of the year Sept. 1 against Washington. He finished the season with 17 triples, an American Leauge record.

Other team records set included Danny Murphy's 39 doubles and Earl Moore's 23 losses.

"This wasn't where we thought we would end up this season," Chronister said. "Not even close. I can't even take solace in the fact we'll have the third pick in next year's draft. This was a team that should have finished in the first half of the league, and we didn't come close."

In the minors: Triple-A Buffalo finished the season 78-60, four games behind Boston. Double-A Akron Aeros finished 88-50, six games ahead of Chicago, and Single-A Kinston went 83-55, four games worse than first-place Baltimore.

Third baseman Walter Sarratt tore up Triple-A, hitting .367/.418/1.013 with 96 HR and 181 RBI in 134 games. Blocked by Bill Bradley in Cleveland, Sarratt may be out of luck trying to find a role with the Blues.

Buffalo also had an outstanding performance by left fielder Julius Jefferson, who hit .325/.397/.837 with 81 HR and 154 RBI in 137 games. Like Sarratt, though, Jefferson's route to Cleveland is blocked by younger players with better all-around games.

Around the league: New York's George Davis picked up his 2,000th career hit August 29 with a first-inning single against Cowboy Jones of the the St. Louis Cardinals.

Boston (A) won the American League with a 98-64 record, finishing four games ahead of Chicago (A). Pittsburgh won the National League with a 91-71 record, three games better than Philadelphia (N). The Pirates and Americans split the first four games of the World Series, but Pittsburgh won the final two and the championship.

Christy Mathewson pitched the Pirates to victory in Game 6, giving up just one run and five hits in eight innings, and Pittsburgh won Game 7 with a run in the bottom of the 13th inning. Jack Chesbro went all the way for the Pirates, giving up just three runs and seven hits in 13 innings. Bob Kent drove home the winning run with a double.

August batters of the month: Detroit's Ducky Holmes (.386, 2 HR, 24 RBI) and Cincinnati's Gary Eckenrode (.385, 4 HR, 19 RBI).

August pitchers of the month: Philadelphia (A)'s Red Donahue (6-1, 2.03 ERA) and Pittsburgh's Christy Mathewson (7-0, 1.98 ERA).

September batters of the month: Chicago (A)'s Sam Mertes (.364, 1 HR, 24 RBI) and Cincinnati's Jake Beckley (.418, 1 HR, 20 RBI).

September pitchers of the month: Boston (A)'s Nig Cuppy (5-0, 0.80 ERA) and Brooklyn's Ham Iburg (5-2, 1.48 ERA).

1902 Most Outstanding Batter
Philadelphia (A)'s Nap Lajoie (.338, 7 HR, 53 2BH, 90 runs, 109 RBI) and Philadelphia (N)'s Elmer Flick (.306/.365/.442, 8 HR, 117 RBI).

1902 Most Outstanding Pitcher
Boston (A)'s Cy Young (29-13, 2.30 ERA, 107 K in 391 IP, 42 CG, 6 SHO) and Brooklyn's Ham Iburg (25-18, 2.56 ERA, 41 CG, 7 SHO, 115 K in 387 IP).

1902 Most Outstsanding Rookie
Chicago (A)'s Rube Kisinger (23-19, 3.60 ERA, 78 strikeouts in 388 IP) and Iburg.

League files have been updated through 1903 preseason, a team report of which will be posted shortly.

05-14-2004, 10:39 AM	#20
firstbigweekend Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lawrence, KS Posts: 43	Cleveland Blues Update — Aug./Sept./Oct. 1902 By Chauncey St. John, Associated Press CLEVELAND — After finishing July just short of the break-even mark, Cleveland went into a tailspin in August. The Blues had a 12-game losing streak in the first half of the month, and went 9-19 overall, falling to 62-74 and 18 games behind Boston. Things weren't much better for Cleveland in September, as the Blues went 9-16 and fell another nine games behind the Americans. Cleveland won its lone game in October and finished 72-90, one game worse than the 1901 season. "I don't know what happened those final two months," Cleveland general manager Levi Chronister said. "We were doing so well in June and July, and then the bottom just dropped out. I don't know if it was that our young guys weren't strong and conditioned enough or something else entirely. I just can't believe it." Despite Cleveland's poor record over the final two months, the team did a few nice pitching performances during that time. Bob Wicker pitched a four-hit shutout against Chicago (A) on August 2, and blanked Detroit on six hits Sept. 5. Cleveland's first-round pick before the season, Wicker finished the season 18-14 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts. "I'm very pleased with Bob's showing," Chronister said. "There were few things from this season that I'll look back on fondly, but his gutty performance of jumping straight to the majors from college is definitely at the top of that list." From August 19 to Sept. 9, George Mullin had a five-game winning streak with a 1.00 ERA, with all five wins being complete games. Mullin was named player of the week August 30 after going 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and seven strikeouts in two complete-game victories. His winning streak came to an end Sept. 13 against Philadelphia (A), when he gave up six runs in eight innings. Win Mercer, traded to Washington in late July as part of a deal for Mullin and center fielder Homer Smoot, pitched his third shutout of the season Sept. 2, blanking Cleveland on two hits. "Well, the ball when where I wanted it. I was able to hit the corners with all my pitches," Mercer said, not mentioning whether he had any resentment against the Blues because of the trade. Charlie Shileds, called up in late July after the trade with the Senators, struggled in his time with the Blues, going 3-13 with a 4.80 ERA in 16 starts. Shield did end his season on a high note, though, shutting out Chicago (A) on three hits Sept. 29. Left fielder Jeffrey Schank played himself out of Most Outstanding Batter competition with a .237/.273/.355 line in September, but did set team record with 50 steals. He finished the season at .294/.360/.463. Sam Crawford set the Cleveland single-season record for triples with his 13th of the year Sept. 1 against Washington. He finished the season with 17 triples, an American Leauge record. Other team records set included Danny Murphy's 39 doubles and Earl Moore's 23 losses. "This wasn't where we thought we would end up this season," Chronister said. "Not even close. I can't even take solace in the fact we'll have the third pick in next year's draft. This was a team that should have finished in the first half of the league, and we didn't come close." In the minors: Triple-A Buffalo finished the season 78-60, four games behind Boston. Double-A Akron Aeros finished 88-50, six games ahead of Chicago, and Single-A Kinston went 83-55, four games worse than first-place Baltimore. Third baseman Walter Sarratt tore up Triple-A, hitting .367/.418/1.013 with 96 HR and 181 RBI in 134 games. Blocked by Bill Bradley in Cleveland, Sarratt may be out of luck trying to find a role with the Blues. Buffalo also had an outstanding performance by left fielder Julius Jefferson, who hit .325/.397/.837 with 81 HR and 154 RBI in 137 games. Like Sarratt, though, Jefferson's route to Cleveland is blocked by younger players with better all-around games. Around the league: New York's George Davis picked up his 2,000th career hit August 29 with a first-inning single against Cowboy Jones of the the St. Louis Cardinals. Boston (A) won the American League with a 98-64 record, finishing four games ahead of Chicago (A). Pittsburgh won the National League with a 91-71 record, three games better than Philadelphia (N). The Pirates and Americans split the first four games of the World Series, but Pittsburgh won the final two and the championship. Christy Mathewson pitched the Pirates to victory in Game 6, giving up just one run and five hits in eight innings, and Pittsburgh won Game 7 with a run in the bottom of the 13th inning. Jack Chesbro went all the way for the Pirates, giving up just three runs and seven hits in 13 innings. Bob Kent drove home the winning run with a double. August batters of the month: Detroit's Ducky Holmes (.386, 2 HR, 24 RBI) and Cincinnati's Gary Eckenrode (.385, 4 HR, 19 RBI). August pitchers of the month: Philadelphia (A)'s Red Donahue (6-1, 2.03 ERA) and Pittsburgh's Christy Mathewson (7-0, 1.98 ERA). September batters of the month: Chicago (A)'s Sam Mertes (.364, 1 HR, 24 RBI) and Cincinnati's Jake Beckley (.418, 1 HR, 20 RBI). September pitchers of the month: Boston (A)'s Nig Cuppy (5-0, 0.80 ERA) and Brooklyn's Ham Iburg (5-2, 1.48 ERA). 1902 Most Outstanding Batter Philadelphia (A)'s Nap Lajoie (.338, 7 HR, 53 2BH, 90 runs, 109 RBI) and Philadelphia (N)'s Elmer Flick (.306/.365/.442, 8 HR, 117 RBI). 1902 Most Outstanding Pitcher Boston (A)'s Cy Young (29-13, 2.30 ERA, 107 K in 391 IP, 42 CG, 6 SHO) and Brooklyn's Ham Iburg (25-18, 2.56 ERA, 41 CG, 7 SHO, 115 K in 387 IP). 1902 Most Outstsanding Rookie Chicago (A)'s Rube Kisinger (23-19, 3.60 ERA, 78 strikeouts in 388 IP) and Iburg. League files have been updated through 1903 preseason, a team report of which will be posted shortly. __________________ -- Life, its beauty, is all bound up in the fact it can surprise you.