The John Carver Story

[Big OOTP Fan]

July 15, 1919

Paul Shaffer, a Red Sox scout, discovers John Carver by a chance meeting at a state fair. Carver, 16, is drawing large crowds of admirers, laughing as he effortlessly splits apples with an axe as volunteers in the crowd throw them at him. Although Carver has never played baseball before, he displays skills that Shaffer feels will transfer nicely to the ball field. Shaffer’s feelings are confirmed at a team workout as Carver handles the offerings of "Bullet Joe" Bush, Red Sox pitcher, quite effectively. He also displays excellent speed given his massive size (6’5", 200 pounds) and is worked out at catcher, first base, third base and all three outfield positions. While there are understandably some holes in his game, it seems to be simply a product of not knowing how to play the game, not a matter of not being able to do certain things. Boston management pegs him for a spot on the 1920 Opening Day roster and plans to have him split time with Stuffy McInnis as he learns the ropes.

[Big OOTP Fan]

April 1, 1920
John "The Kid" Carver opens the 1920 season on the Red Sox roster as heralded well in advance by the Boston media. The community is still stinging from the sale of star Babe Ruth to the Yankees and is looking for a new hero. Boston puts Carver at first base and asks veteran Stuffy McInnis to step into a backup role for the time being during which he will serve as Carver’s personal trainer and coach.

June 30, 1920
Babe Ruth cracks his 25th home run of the season as the rest of baseball marvels and the City of Boston simmers. John Carver "quietly" hits number 10 on the same day.

September 25, 1920
Boston ends up 73-81, 22 games behind pennant winner Cleveland. Even though the Yankees finish ten games back, Babe Ruth is the talk of baseball, hitting 58 homers and also driving in 138 runs while scoring 125. John Carver caps an amazing rookie season by hitting home run number 24 on the last day of the season. He finishes a very distant second in the majors in home runs to Ruth. Carver ends up hitting .281 with 92 runs scored, 32 doubles, 11 triples, 97 RBIs, 75 walks and 18 SBs but loses the Rookie of the Year nod in a close vote to Bob Meusel.

[Big OOTP Fan]

February 2, 1921
The Red Sox announce that they have signed free agent and former Phillie Cy Williams and also reached an agreement with "Bullet Joe" Bush, who pitched for the club last season. Carver celebrates his eighteenth birthday.

April 1, 1921
The season begins with Carver firmly planted at first base and batting cleanup behind Cy Williams. Stuffy McInnis returns after signing a 3-year extension last season despite only accumulating 60 at bats.

May 30, 1921
Carver is suffering from the dreaded sophomore jinx, managing just 39 hits in his first 181 ABs. Boston management commits to letting him play through the slump.

September 26, 1921
Boston finishes fifth with a 76-78 record, 11.5 games behind the Senators, who win a 1-game playoff over the Yankees to take the pennant in which the Babe hits HR # 62. Carver closes the season much more loudly than he began it, hitting .354 in September with a .447 OBP and four doubles, four triples and four home runs in just 79 at bats. "The Kid", as he is being called in many circles around the league, ends the season with numbers that as a whole are slightly below his rookie season: a .280 average, 16 HRs, 87 RBIs, 99 runs and 85 walks. He also commits 16 errors, more than double what he had last year in virtually the same number of chances.

October 6, 1921
The New York Giants win their second straight World Series in six games over the Senators.

[Big OOTP Fan]

January 3, 1922
Carver goes to arbitration and signs a $5.5 million deal.

July 3, 1922
After winning his first Batter of the Month award by hitting .379 with 7 HRs and 34 RBIs in June, John Carver plays in his first All Star game and starts in left field, batting in the number 2 spot. He drives Eddie Collins in with a single in the first inning to help lead the American League to a 3-0 victory. Later, the Babe wrestles him to the ground playfully while balancing a hot dog in one hand, joking with reporters about "having to defend my home run title man-to-boy".

September 25, 1922
Boston struggles to stay out of last place all season long and ends up at 67-87, but none of the blame is placed at the feet of teenager John Carver. "The Kid" hits .344, cracks 27 HRs, drives in 120 runs and steals 22 bases. He also cuts his errors at 1B down to 11. Carver finishes tied with Ken Williams for second in the AL in homers (the Babe hits 60), second in the majors in RBIs to the Babe’s 156, and second in the majors in walks to the Babe’s 139. He also rips 13 triples and is awarded his first Gold Glove Award.

October 5, 1922
Ty Cobb, after leading the Tigers to a five-game win over the Pirates in the World Series, lists himself behind "The Babe and The Kid" when asked to name the best players in the game. When pressed as to whether he thought that Carver might reach the Babe’s numbers someday, he would only smirk in reply.

[Big OOTP Fan]

January 6, 1923
Arbitration proves costly to the Red Sox as Carver signs for $6.4 million. He expresses his desire for a long-term contract with Boston.

March 2, 1923
Per Carver’s request, he is moved into the third slot in the batting order against both lefties and righties. Cy Williams, who hit .333 last season with 16 HRs and 91 RBIs, will bat behind him.

September 25, 1923
Boston closes out the season in fourth place at 83-71, just 5 games behind the pennant-winning Tigers. Carver’s numbers slip a little but are still impressive, and he is named to the 1923 American League All Star Team. He scores a career-high 121 runs (second in the AL) while driving in 99, and he hits .310. His 28 stolen bases are also a career high and good for third place in the league, and he hits 23 home runs to finish third in the AL. He also wins another Gold Glove Award. The Babe has his best season yet with 64 HRs, 165 RBIs, 142 runs scored, 49 doubles and 144 walks while batting .359. He on several occasions is quoted as saying that the Yankees should acquire Carver.

November 4, 1923
Stuffy McInnis gets another 3-year extension at the request of Carver. McInnis has just 255 ABs in the last four seasons but has played a critical role in developing Carver’s skills and introducing him to many aspects of the game.

[Big OOTP Fan]

April 1, 1924
Having no free agent additions makes Boston fans wonder if this team can go any farther than Red Sox teams from the recent past. Rumors have been swirling that the Yankees have been stockpiling cash (allegedly, $75,000,000) with the intentions of forming a Babe Ruth - John Carver duo once Carver is a free agent at the end of the 1924 season.

August 1, 1924
The trading deadline comes and goes with Carver remaining unsigned. Red Sox fans begin picketing the ticket office in protest. A New York Times study reveals that the Reds, the Braves, the Indians, the Yankees, the Giants, the Phillies and the Browns all have stockpiled at least $50 million in cash, and the bidding for Carver’s services is likely to run far above what Boston can pay. Still, no one can explain why he was not traded or sold.

September 25, 1924
Carver hits 29 HRs in 1924, again playing a distant second fiddle to the Babe, who hits 62 while driving in 169 runs. Carver also hits .317 with 109 RBIs and 22 SBs and again makes the All Star team while winning another Gold Glove Award, committing just 3 errors all season long.

October 2, 1924
Tens of thousands of fans demonstrate in the streets after the Yankees lose in five to the Pirates. Most of the signs mention bringing "The Kid" to New York City.

[Big OOTP Fan]

January 31, 1925
The largest bidding war in baseball history kicked off today with John Carver as the big prize. Carver, who turns 22 in three days, has already played five full seasons, all with the Boston Red Sox, and accumulated 119 career home runs, 109 stolen bases and a .306 lifetime batting average. He is also a three-time All Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner.

February 1, 1925
Carver, being interviewed by the Boston Globe, says that he has heard from four teams: the Red Sox, the Cardinals, the Browns and the Cubs. He confirms that the Yankees have not yet contacted him and would only say that the Browns had made the most lucrative offer. Some within the Yankees organization have said off the record that they might not pursue Carver as a hot prospect from Columbia University named Lou Gehrig had just joined the team and was slotted for first base. The Yankees do have some needs at third base and could move Carver over to that position.

February 4, 1925
The St. Louis Browns announce that they have signed John Carver to a five year deal paying $12 million per year. They add that they consider it a bargain. The Browns, who have lost at least 89 games in each of the past four years, will be leaning very heavily on "The Kid" for the rest of the decade. Carver is asked repeatedly about the Yankees’ offer but maintains that no offer was received. He also expresses happiness at being able to move to St. Louis and has asked Browns management to make a trade for or purchase Stuffy McInnis. Carver at the very least should form a rather fearsome duo with Ken Williams, the Browns slugger who has hit 111 homers in the last four years. Carver also is looking forward to working with legendary batting coach Wade Bardwell.

September 25, 1925
Carver’s Browns finish in seventh but just 13 games out. Although their pitching is poor, the Browns finish first in the majors with a .293 average and second in homers (117) and runs scored (787). While Carver remains silent on the subject, the media gleefully notes that the Red Sox (who lose 103 games in 1925) and Yankees (who finish 4 games behind the pennant-winning Senators, led by George Sisler’s .399 batting average) could have used The Kid’s services. Carver sets career highs with a .362 batting average, 213 hits, 59 doubles (most in the majors), 123 runs scored (most in the majors), a .449 OBP and a .626 slugging percentage. He also hits 25 home runs and drives in 118 and is named to another All Star team and awarded another Gold Glove award (just 5 errors in 1925).

Despite the expectations of even bigger numbers because of the newly-found protection from rookie Lou Gehrig (36 HRs, .324 AVG), the Babe pulls his ACL in early August and misses the rest of the season but still hits 42 homers.

October 5, 1925
For the first time this decade, the American League MVP award does not go to Babe Ruth. John Carver, who finished third in batting, fourth in homers and second in RBIs as well as leading the majors in doubles and runs scored, wins the first MVP of his career at age 22.

November 12, 1925
Babe Ruth holds a press conference to announce that John Carver has joined his barnstorming team and will receive an undisclosed percentage of each game’s gate receipts.

[Big OOTP Fan]

September 25, 1926
The Browns win 90 games and finish just 2 games behind the first-place Yankees, far above expectations. Carver enjoys another phenomenal season, hitting .332 and setting new career highs with 34 HRs, 147 RBIs, 139 runs and 15 triples. The Babe rips the MVP Award back from Carver’s hands, winning his first Triple Crown by hitting .365 with 61 homers and 157 RBIs and leading the Yankees to their first World Championship. Carver makes another All Star team but fails to win the Gold Glove Award after making 13 errors.

November 3, 1926
Ty Cobb announces his retirement despite needing just 29 hits to reach 4,000. Although he scored his 2,000th run in 1926, Cobb hit a career-low .261 and missed 26 games due to a variety of minor injuries. He felt that he was at less than full strength for the entire season and decided to retire rather than subject himself to another season of what he deemed "inferior performance". Cobb ends up at .359 for his career, breaks Nap Lajoie’s doubles record by 7 with 664, sets a new runs scored record with 2,047 and also retires second on the list in career RBIs with 1,751 and second in triples with 273. He ties Billy Hamilton’s stolen base record with 912.

[Big OOTP Fan]

March 2, 1927
The St. Louis Dispatch reports that the Browns rank seventh among big league teams in fan interest. The last time they ran this poll was in 1924 before Carver came to the team. The Browns at that time were ranked second-to-last.

June 13, 1927
The Babe dives for a ball in the stands and badly breaks his right index finger. Doctors expect him to miss about two months. Some observers blame the mishap on the discolored ball that is being used at the time (thanks to the usual coating of tobacco, spit, etc.) and a minor movement to outlaw such behavior starts up, but to no avail.

September 25, 1927
The Senators finish three games in front of the Yankees and 17 games ahead of the seventh-place Browns, who win just 73 games, far below expectations. Teams have been pitching around Carver more this season (his 111 walks lead the majors, far ahead of the Babe’s 86), and his final numbers help illustrate his lack of patience at times. He hits .302, thirty points lower than last season, and he hits only 21 homers while driving in just 96, both far below last season’s marks of 34 and 147. Even his triples drop to just 7, and he commits 17 errors at first base and fails to win the Gold Glove Award again. The team has been trying to talk Carver into resting during the offseason for fear that the barnstorming is affecting his league play. Carver said that he would give it some thought.

The Babe’s teammate, Gabby Hartnett, wins the MVP Award thanks to the Babe’s absence. While the Babe still cranks out 40 homers, his RBIs drop from 157 in 1926 to just 94 this season and his walks fall from 139 to 86. Hartnett leads the AL in RBIs with 113 while batting .337 with 33 homers.

October 9, 1927
Carver regretfully informs Browns management that he will not be pulling out of any barnstorming commitments as requested.

[Big OOTP Fan]

April 6, 1928
John Carver cracks career home run number 200 on Opening Day, only the second player to reach that total in major league history. Babe Ruth is expected to hit number 500 later this month.

July 3, 1928
Carver is not named to the All Star team for the first time since he was selected in 1922 for the first time.

September 26, 1928
The A’s, Yankees and Browns all finish at 82-72 but the Browns are eliminated by the Commissioner due to a newly-installed and controversial tiebreaker rule. The Browns are informed of this after a 14-1 loss in New York (thanks in part to two Babe Ruth homers) on the last day of the regular season. Fans in St. Louis stage a small riot. There ends up being justice in some eyes as the Yankees lose to the A’s in the official tiebreaker game and then the A’s lose to the Pirates in six games in the World Series.

Lou Gehrig takes a turn winning the MVP Award, powered by his .322 average, 36 homers, 115 runs and 143 RBIs. The Babe has what many consider a better year, batting .341 with 42 homers and 124 RBIs; however, the voters appear to penalize him for only appearing in 130 games. Carver’s power numbers rise only slightly from 1927 as he hits 40 doubles and 25 homers while driving in 104 runs. He scores 112, hits 13 triples, walks 100 times and steals 24 bases while hitting .315 and earning another spot on the American League All Star team. Carver commits 19 errors but wins a somewhat controversial Gold Glove award. The Browns are expected to attempt to extend his contract in the offseason as his current 5-year deal expires at the end of 1929.

[Big OOTP Fan]

March 4, 1929
John Carver says that the Browns have not made any attempt to sign him past the 1929 campaign.

June 19, 1929
The Browns announce that they have signed John Carver to a 5-year extension worth $12.5 million per year.

September 26, 1929
The Yankees take the American League pennant, finishing 12 games ahead of the 81-73 Browns, Indians and Senators. For the first time since 1918, Babe Ruth does not win the American League home run race, hitting 36 to Al Simmons’ 40. Simmons, a free agent at the end of the season, hits .375, losing the batting title by a single point to Earl Averill, and adds 129 RBIs and 120 runs as well to take AL MVP honors. Carver finishes third in the AL in batting by hitting 348, his highest average in four years and the second highest of his career. He hits 32 homers, just missing his career best by two, and he leads the majors in runs scored with 139 and is second in RBIs with 131. He also sets an major league record with 60 doubles. The only real dark spot on the season for Carver is his fielding as he has 22 errors at first and does not win the Gold Glove Award. Carver closes the season with two consecutive Batter of the Month awards to go with his seventh All Star appearance.

[Big OOTP Fan]

September 25, 1930
The Browns finish in fourth place, 11 games behind the Indians. Simmons wins his second MVP and leads the AL in batting (.371) and homers (46). Ruth hit .325 with 33 homers and hits HR #600 on the last day of the season. Carver leads the majors with 137 runs and also leads the AL in steals with 22. He also hits .341 and drives in 126 runs while walking 107 times. He makes just 6 errors but does not win the Gold Glove Award, perhaps due to the damage that his poor fielding did to his reputation in the 1929 campaign.

[Big OOTP Fan]

September 26, 1931
St. Louis finishes in fifth with 80 wins, just 7 games behind the Tigers. Al Simmons dominates the news coverage by winning the Triple Crown. He hits .403, cracking 56 home runs, driving in 160 runs and scoring 136. Carver bats .380 while collecting 221 hits and 37 home runs (all career highs and St. Louis Browns team records) and striking out just 47 times, a career low. His .465 OBP and .680 slugging percentage are both career highs as well; however, coverage of Carver’s accomplishments are obscured by Simmons’ heroics much as they were by Ruth’s accomplishments in the early 1920’s. Ruth collects another 33 homers but has a sub-.400 OBP for the first time in his career and strikes out 181 times, a major league record. Carver makes the All Star team again and wins the tenth Batter of the Month award of his career by hitting .435 with 8 homers and 30 RBIs in September.

[Big OOTP Fan]

July 3, 1932
Carver suffers another All-Star snub.

September 28, 1932
The Browns win 84 games but finish 10 games behind the Yankees and end up in second place. Carver has another solid season, batting .314 with 30 HRs, 109 RBIs, 46 doubles, 142 runs scored (most in the majors), 104 walks, 32 steals (tops in the AL), and just 5 errors at first base (no Gold Glove!), but Simmons wins his fourth straight MVP Award, courtesy of a .357 average, 37 doubles, 45 homers, 154 RBIs and 102 runs scored.

[Big OOTP Fan]

February 2, 1933
Carver turns 30 and is thrown a huge party at Babe Ruth’s home. 450 guests, including many of the biggest names in baseball, attend the bash. Ruth stuns the baseball world by announcing his retirement the next day. Ruth says that he wants to start enjoying life (which draws chuckles from the otherwise somber media group) but also vows to do whatever he can to help his good friend Carver, as a coach or perhaps even as an owner. The Babe retires with 638 career home runs and a .324 batting average.

February 21, 1933
Carver suggests to St. Louis management that he be signed on as a player-manager when his current contract expires. Management agrees to consider the idea. Rumors fly that the Babe may purchase part of the team.

February 28, 1933
Wade Bardwell retires and is replaced by Cary Siegel, a good hitting coach but one that pales by comparison to the legendary Bardwell. Carver expresses his sadness that Bardwell, who decided to call it quits for undisclosed personal reasons, has left the team but declares his support of Siegel, who served the Browns last season as an assistant coach.

June 28, 1933
Carver makes a triumphant return to the Midsummer Classic.

September 29, 1933
The Browns finish in fourth place, 20 games behind 100-game winner New York. Carver again posts solid numbers (a .350 average, 31 homers, 136 runs - most in the majors, 107 RBIs, 39 steals - most in the AL, and a .450 OBP), but Simmons wins his fifth straight MVP award with 38 HRs, 119 RBIs 217 hits and a .364 average. It is Simmons’ fourth straight batting title. St. Louis does manage to draw 3.3 million fans and sell out 65% of their home games, but they are unable to become a real threat to win the pennant. With Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx both on the market, hope runs high that St. Louis can add a bat to help Carver post even bigger numbers.

[Big OOTP Fan]

January 12, 1934
The Yankees announce that Babe Ruth has purchased 15% of the franchise and will serve in an undefined capacity both on and off the field.

March 12, 1934
The Browns make no moves on Ott or Foxx, and the media speculates that it may be due to the need to sign Carver first. There has still been no offer made to Carver yet and his contract is due to expire at the end of the season.

April 15, 1934
John Carver has his 34-game hitting streak (dating back to last season) broken. It is the longest hitting streak of his career and also a Browns team record.

June 20, 1934
John Carver becomes the second player in major league history to hit 400 homers. Ruth’s heralded career record of 638 seems a long way off, but Carver is just 31. Hack Wilson is at 376, Al Simmons stands at 337, Lou Gehrig is at 327 and Bob Meusel has 327 homers. All are older than Carver. Carver remains unsigned past the end of this season.

August 1, 1934
The trading deadline comes and goes with no news of either a trade or the signing of Carver. Browns management continues to remain silent on the subject despite the outrage of the fans.

September 28, 1934
The Browns finish dead last with a 63-91 record while the Yankees win 95 games and then sweep the Phillies for the World Championship. Carver hits .371, his second-highest mark ever, and collects 200 hits, 51 doubles, 30 homers, 111 RBIs, 118 runs, 106 walks and 24 stolen bases, yet it again is not enough to overcome Al Simmons’ perennial MVP Award, his sixth straight.

[Big OOTP Fan]

January 31, 1935
The most talent-packed free agent sweepstakes in history kicks off, highlighted by six-time American League MVP Al Simmons, active career home run leader John Carver, and career .330 hitter Charlie Gehringer. Babe Ruth personally hand-delivers a sealed offer to Carver from the Yankees that Carver will only say "easily tops" those he received from the White Sox, the Senators and the Pirates. The Yankees are also in the running for Gehringer with the Reds.

February 2, 1935
Babe Ruth hosts another birthday bash for John Carver at his Baltimore home and announces that the Yankees have given Carver a little present: a 7-year contract at $16.3 million. Carver is seeing weeping tears of joy throughout the evening.

February 3, 1935
Al Simmons signs a 7-year deal at $13 million per season with the Cubs, apparently ending his reign of terror in the American League and his assault on the AL MVP Award. Charlie Gehringer signs with the Yankees to replace the departing Tony Lazzeri.

February 4, 1935
Speculation begins getting louder about the Yankees’ plans for both Carver and Lou Gehrig. The Iron Horse is signed through the 1940 season and has been firmly installed at first base for the Yanks since the 1925 season. Gehrig has won two home run titles and five RBI titles and also appeared in four All Star games, twice at Carver’s expense. Gehrig has hit .304 and averaged 34 homers, 123 RBIs, 114 runs, and 90 walks during his ten years with the Yankees.

February 12, 1935
Yankee sources demanding anonymity say that Carver has been seen working out at third base.

March 1, 1935
The Yankees announce that Carver will open the season at first base. The Yankees begin to receive numerous trade offers for Gehrig.

[Big OOTP Fan]

Should I continue?

[John C]

Definitely!

[WillTheThrill]

yes, please continue