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Matt from TN · 08-05-2004, 01:21 PM

September 1942

The AL pennant race was not quite as exciting as one would have hoped. The Indians went 10-13, but still clinched the pennant with a week left in the season. The Senators went 17-7 to salvage a lost season and miraculously finish in 2nd.

The Giants went 11-13 and made a race out of the NL. You would think with a poor record like that, they would have lost the pennant, but it was not to be. The Cubs, Dodgers and Cardinals all struggled, and it was the Pirates who came out of nowhere to give New York a run for their money. Pittsburgh went 18-6 and finished the season just 1 game out. The Giants dropped 6 of their last 7, while Pittsburgh went 4-3 over that span. The Pirates lost their last game of the season 13-4 to the Phillies and allowed New York to back into the World Series.

Ancestors:

Washington's Bill Finley threw a no-hitter against the A's on September 23rd.

Ricardo Bowden collected his 2500th hit on Sept. 20th against the Browns.

In The News

Sept 23: Larry MacPhail, the 52-year-old Dodger president, announced today that he is quitting at the end of the season to reenter the Army.

Sept 27: Red Sox pitcher Babe Hardin won his 22nd game in the final game of the season to tie for the AL lead, as Boston edged the Indians 8-6. A Municipal Stadium crowd of 56,905 - including 4,293 youngsters who gained free admission by bringing 29,000 pounds of scrap metal for the war effort - watched Hardin scatter 15 hits. The hometown fans saw their AL champion Indians nearly comeback, scoring 2 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th but fall short.

American League-Pitcher of the Month:
Mickey Lonergan (PHA)!
He had a record of 5-0 in 7 games started, with an ERA of 2.21 and 2 shutouts.

American League-Batter of the Month:
Ping Hung (NYA)!
He batted .402 in 92 AB, with 2 homers and 15 RBI.

National League-Pitcher of the Month:
Bill Blakemore (PIT)!
He had a record of 6-1 in 7 games started, with an ERA of 3.98 and 1 shutouts.

National League-Batter of the Month:
Bud Breckenridge (PIT)!
He batted .351 in 77 AB, with 4 homers and 16 RB

Code:

American League Standings 
  
Cleveland        90 64 .584 -
Washington       85 69 .552 5.0
St. Louis (A)    83 71 .539 7.0 
New York (A)     77 77 .500 13.0
Boston (A)       75 79 .487 15.0
Chicago (A)      71 83 .461 19.0
Philadelphia (A) 69 85 .448 21.0
Detroit          66 88 .429 24.0
 
National League Standings 
 
New York (N)     86 68 .558 -
Pittsburgh       85 69 .552 1.0 
Chicago (N)      83 71 .539 3.0
Brooklyn         82 72 .532 4.0 
St. Louis (N)    81 73 .526 5.0
Cincinnati       69 85 .448 17.0
Philadelphia (N) 66 88 .429 20.0
Boston (N)       64 90 .416 22.0

World Series

For a second year in a row, the Giants are a miraculous and mindboggling story. They are not among the best major league teams in many major offensive or pitching catergories, and yet here they are in a second consecutive World Series. Their pitching is downright questionable, with a team ERA of 3.58 that ranks 9th in the majors. Opponents hit .255 off of them, which was 5th worst in the majors, and their 83 homeruns allowed was 3rd most. However, this season has seen the impact of the longball diminish significantly. New York's offense has a team batting average (.249) that ranks 9th in the majors, but once again they led the majors in homeruns and they are second in walks and runs scored. This is obviously a testament to the skills of Michael McAinsh as a manager.

Their offense has some of the least known all-stars in shortstop Andy Martineau, second baseman Bobby Martin and left fielder Anson Morgenstern in addition to slugging third baseman Dale Lamberty, who has been a favorite of Giants fans for several years now. Their pitching staff has no stars, but the addition of Randall Bray from the Phillies prior to the trading deadline was a significant addition to a healthy George Cone and up-and-coming youngsters Kyle Stevens and Jack Schoonover.

Cleveland is an impressive team that many sportswriters expected to capture a pennant years ago, but they could never surpass the Yankees or Senators. Well, now they have. Pitching is the key for the Indians. Their 3.18 team ERA ranks 3rd in the majors, and they are among the best in not allowing walks, runs or base hits. They boast two 20-game winners in all-stars George Bowers and Al Weidenheimer. Two of their starters have sub-3.00 ERA's - Bowers and fellow all-star Billy Crowell. Their offense is solid with a .255 average that ranks 5th in the league, but they scored just the 6th most runs. One of their leaders, right fielder Bill Berry, will miss the first 3 games of the Series after being hit in the cheek by a pitch on September 18th. He led the team with a .317 average, so the Indians will have to rely more on sluggers like Daniel Lutzke and "Big Lou" Zaitz to get them through.

My Prediction: New York's statistics make it easy to call Cleveland the favorite, but you cannot discount the Giants' heart and determination, as well as the managing of McAinsh and the fact that the Giants have experience from last year's World Series. However, Cleveland's pitching staff could be too much for the Giants. New York will have to find ways to get on base and then rely on the longball to score runs. On the other hand, we will have to wait to see how a sometimes inconsistent Indians lineup can score runs now that they will miss Berry for three games. This could be a very close series, and I predict Cleveland win in 6 games.

Starting Lineups:

**Ancestors in BLUE

Indians
CF Joe Campbell, .229, 34 SB
RF Joe Carrascal, .259 in 158 AB
2B F.X. Ditty, .301, 51 RBI in 365 AB
1B Daniel Lutzke, .229, 17 HR, 94 RBI
LF Lou Zaitz, .271, 11 HR, 62 RBI
3B Kid Fite, .260, 41 RBI in 346 AB
C Fred Storey, .300, 62 RBI
SS Sean Carlin, .230, 67 RBI

SP #1 - George Bowers, 21-16, 2.89, 133 K
SP #2 - Al Weidenheimer, 20-11, 3.08, 109 K
SP #3 - Billy Crowell, 18-14, 2.60, 77 K

Emergency SP - Zolly Schoeter, 7-6, 3.74, 37 K
Closer - Ray Prim, 1.29, 6 SV

Other Noteable Players:
RF Bill Berry, .317, 11 HR, 72 RBI
3B Stew Tremere, .259
CF William Morgan, .251
C Ted Varner, .315 in 143 AB
SP Trent Roberts, 17-12, 4.10, 139 K

Giants
RF Hal Smith, .249, 13 HR, 53 RBI, 24 SB
SS Andy Martineau, .294, 11 HR, 64 RBI
3B Dale Lamberty, .257, 23 HR, 85 RBI
C Lloyd Johnson, .259, 15 HR, 81 RBI
2B Bobby Martin, .291, 81 RBI
1B Carlos Hulse, .245, 13 HR, 71 RBI
LF Anson Morgenstern, .256, 10 HR, 75 RBI
CF Julius Meilleur, .255 in 267 AB

SP #1 - George Cone, 14-13, 3.51, 72 K
SP #2 - Randall Bray, 17-17, 3.31, 86 K
SP #3 - Kyle Stevens, 11-7, 3.57, 60 K

Emergency SP - Bill Wilkins, 11-13, 3.81, 80 K
Closer - Bob Boshernitsan, 2.30, 14 Sv

Other Noteable Players:
CF Al Yawn, .262
Jack Schoonover, 11-12, 3.50, 76 K

08-05-2004, 01:21 PM	#1888
Matt from TN Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In a funk.... Posts: 3,413	September 1942 The AL pennant race was not quite as exciting as one would have hoped. The Indians went 10-13, but still clinched the pennant with a week left in the season. The Senators went 17-7 to salvage a lost season and miraculously finish in 2nd. The Giants went 11-13 and made a race out of the NL. You would think with a poor record like that, they would have lost the pennant, but it was not to be. The Cubs, Dodgers and Cardinals all struggled, and it was the Pirates who came out of nowhere to give New York a run for their money. Pittsburgh went 18-6 and finished the season just 1 game out. The Giants dropped 6 of their last 7, while Pittsburgh went 4-3 over that span. The Pirates lost their last game of the season 13-4 to the Phillies and allowed New York to back into the World Series. Ancestors: Washington's Bill Finley threw a no-hitter against the A's on September 23rd. Ricardo Bowden collected his 2500th hit on Sept. 20th against the Browns. In The News Sept 23: Larry MacPhail, the 52-year-old Dodger president, announced today that he is quitting at the end of the season to reenter the Army. Sept 27: Red Sox pitcher Babe Hardin won his 22nd game in the final game of the season to tie for the AL lead, as Boston edged the Indians 8-6. A Municipal Stadium crowd of 56,905 - including 4,293 youngsters who gained free admission by bringing 29,000 pounds of scrap metal for the war effort - watched Hardin scatter 15 hits. The hometown fans saw their AL champion Indians nearly comeback, scoring 2 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th but fall short. American League-Pitcher of the Month: Mickey Lonergan (PHA)! He had a record of 5-0 in 7 games started, with an ERA of 2.21 and 2 shutouts. American League-Batter of the Month: Ping Hung (NYA)! He batted .402 in 92 AB, with 2 homers and 15 RBI. National League-Pitcher of the Month: Bill Blakemore (PIT)! He had a record of 6-1 in 7 games started, with an ERA of 3.98 and 1 shutouts. National League-Batter of the Month: Bud Breckenridge (PIT)! He batted .351 in 77 AB, with 4 homers and 16 RB Code: American League Standings Cleveland 90 64 .584 - Washington 85 69 .552 5.0 St. Louis (A) 83 71 .539 7.0 New York (A) 77 77 .500 13.0 Boston (A) 75 79 .487 15.0 Chicago (A) 71 83 .461 19.0 Philadelphia (A) 69 85 .448 21.0 Detroit 66 88 .429 24.0 National League Standings New York (N) 86 68 .558 - Pittsburgh 85 69 .552 1.0 Chicago (N) 83 71 .539 3.0 Brooklyn 82 72 .532 4.0 St. Louis (N) 81 73 .526 5.0 Cincinnati 69 85 .448 17.0 Philadelphia (N) 66 88 .429 20.0 Boston (N) 64 90 .416 22.0 World Series For a second year in a row, the Giants are a miraculous and mindboggling story. They are not among the best major league teams in many major offensive or pitching catergories, and yet here they are in a second consecutive World Series. Their pitching is downright questionable, with a team ERA of 3.58 that ranks 9th in the majors. Opponents hit .255 off of them, which was 5th worst in the majors, and their 83 homeruns allowed was 3rd most. However, this season has seen the impact of the longball diminish significantly. New York's offense has a team batting average (.249) that ranks 9th in the majors, but once again they led the majors in homeruns and they are second in walks and runs scored. This is obviously a testament to the skills of Michael McAinsh as a manager. Their offense has some of the least known all-stars in shortstop Andy Martineau, second baseman Bobby Martin and left fielder Anson Morgenstern in addition to slugging third baseman Dale Lamberty, who has been a favorite of Giants fans for several years now. Their pitching staff has no stars, but the addition of Randall Bray from the Phillies prior to the trading deadline was a significant addition to a healthy George Cone and up-and-coming youngsters Kyle Stevens and Jack Schoonover. Cleveland is an impressive team that many sportswriters expected to capture a pennant years ago, but they could never surpass the Yankees or Senators. Well, now they have. Pitching is the key for the Indians. Their 3.18 team ERA ranks 3rd in the majors, and they are among the best in not allowing walks, runs or base hits. They boast two 20-game winners in all-stars George Bowers and Al Weidenheimer. Two of their starters have sub-3.00 ERA's - Bowers and fellow all-star Billy Crowell. Their offense is solid with a .255 average that ranks 5th in the league, but they scored just the 6th most runs. One of their leaders, right fielder Bill Berry, will miss the first 3 games of the Series after being hit in the cheek by a pitch on September 18th. He led the team with a .317 average, so the Indians will have to rely more on sluggers like Daniel Lutzke and "Big Lou" Zaitz to get them through. My Prediction: New York's statistics make it easy to call Cleveland the favorite, but you cannot discount the Giants' heart and determination, as well as the managing of McAinsh and the fact that the Giants have experience from last year's World Series. However, Cleveland's pitching staff could be too much for the Giants. New York will have to find ways to get on base and then rely on the longball to score runs. On the other hand, we will have to wait to see how a sometimes inconsistent Indians lineup can score runs now that they will miss Berry for three games. This could be a very close series, and I predict Cleveland win in 6 games. Starting Lineups: Ancestors in BLUE Indians CF Joe Campbell, .229, 34 SB RF Joe Carrascal, .259 in 158 AB 2B F.X. Ditty, .301, 51 RBI in 365 AB 1B Daniel Lutzke, .229, 17 HR, 94 RBI LF Lou Zaitz, .271, 11 HR, 62 RBI 3B Kid Fite, .260, 41 RBI in 346 AB C Fred Storey, .300, 62 RBI SS Sean Carlin, .230, 67 RBI SP #1 - George Bowers, 21-16, 2.89, 133 K SP #2 - Al Weidenheimer, 20-11, 3.08, 109 K SP #3 - Billy Crowell, 18-14, 2.60, 77 K Emergency SP - Zolly Schoeter, 7-6, 3.74, 37 K Closer - Ray Prim, 1.29, 6 SV Other Noteable Players: RF Bill Berry, .317, 11 HR, 72 RBI 3B Stew Tremere, .259 CF William Morgan, .251 C Ted Varner, .315 in 143 AB SP Trent Roberts, 17-12, 4.10, 139 K Giants** RF Hal Smith, .249, 13 HR, 53 RBI, 24 SB SS Andy Martineau, .294, 11 HR, 64 RBI 3B Dale Lamberty, .257, 23 HR, 85 RBI C Lloyd Johnson, .259, 15 HR, 81 RBI 2B Bobby Martin, .291, 81 RBI 1B Carlos Hulse, .245, 13 HR, 71 RBI LF Anson Morgenstern, .256, 10 HR, 75 RBI CF Julius Meilleur, .255 in 267 AB SP #1 - George Cone, 14-13, 3.51, 72 K SP #2 - Randall Bray, 17-17, 3.31, 86 K SP #3 - Kyle Stevens, 11-7, 3.57, 60 K Emergency SP - Bill Wilkins, 11-13, 3.81, 80 K Closer - Bob Boshernitsan, 2.30, 14 Sv Other Noteable Players: CF Al Yawn, .262 Jack Schoonover, 11-12, 3.50, 76 K