Cardinal Rule: A Fictional Historical 1901 Replay

[Afino]

Pacheco!

[Afino]

Preston Thomas won both Player of the Week and Rookie of the Month (for what that's worth...)

Pacheco won Pitcher of the Month (predictably)


----------

Monday, July 1st, 1901

2B V. Vargas of the Washington Senators honored: Wins the MLB AL Player of the Week Award.

2B P. Thomas of the St. Louis Cardinals honored: Wins the MLB NL Player of the Week Award.

SS M. Bingham of the Milwaukee Brewers honored: Wins the MLB AL Batter of the Month Award.

RF B. Leeder of the Brooklyn Superbas honored: Wins the MLB NL Batter of the Month Award.

SP D. Nolan of the Chicago White Sox honored: Wins the MLB AL Pitcher of the Month Award.

SP Á. Pacheco of the St. Louis Cardinals honored: Wins the MLB NL Pitcher of the Month Award.

SS M. Bingham of the Milwaukee Brewers honored: Wins the MLB AL Rookie of the Month Award.

2B P. Thomas of the St. Louis Cardinals honored: Wins the MLB NL Rookie of the Month Award.

[Afino]

Still up 9 games!

[Afino]

The Cardinals extended their streak to three full games without allowing an earned run in a 7-1 win today against Brooklyn, extending their NL lead to 10 games.

Jorge Montalvo did the job today, allowing only 7 hits over his complete game. John Burt is heating back up, going 3 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI.

[Afino]

So, it's time for a (completely fictional) mailbag. To all the faithful readers, any ideas for a future mailbag, shoot me a PM!

As always, these are fictional questions. Even though it's 1901, people talk and chat like it's 2009. No idea why.

-------------------------------------

Tony (EAST ST. LOUIS): Wassup Mr. Afino?? Cardinals are BALLIN!! Hey, just wanted to say that.

Afino: Thanks. We've worked hard to put together a team that will hopefully win the pennant and bring home a World Series title. So far, so good.

Steve (Peoria,IL): What's with Ernesto Lopez hitting .230?? I mean, why isn't he benched yet? He's TERRIBLE and hitting 6th in the lineup!!

Afino: Lopez isn't terrible. He has taken the second most walks on the team, still driven in 36 runs, and is good defensively. Offense at catcher is a luxury, and we feel that Lopez is adequate, no change needed.

CHICO (STL): WHOS YOUR BIGGEST COMPETITION IN THE LEAGUE???

Afino: Well, considering we've wiped the floor with Brooklyn whenever they've gotten close and now have a 10-game lead, I'd say no one. But because I'm not cocky, I'd say the Giants.

Laurie (St. Louis): What's up? Hey, I just had a question about your minor league system. Ricardo Rodriguez was drafted to be the 2B of the future in the inaugural draft. How's he doing? Thanks.

Afino: Rodriguez has been doing well in Single A. We actually just called him up to AA after his promising start. However, he isn't very happy, so we'll have to keep an eye on that. He was ranked the #6 prospect, we're going to take our time on him as he's only 19.

Chuck (Kansas City): How come you never use your bench? There's some talent there and in AAA.

Afino: That's just the way things are. We've actually made a couple of changes lately, especially against left handers, to try and work a few more guys in occasionally. But especially with no injuries, it's hard to put your best guys on the bench.

Lisa (St Louis): any trades out there? its pretty boring without any callups or trades

Afino: We don't feel a change is needed right now. Why break what works?? Obviously, you never know what may happen, but as of right now, we're fine with our roster.



Yup, these are my fictional readers.

[Afino]

A late rally today propelled the Cards to a 4-3 victory over Brooklyn.

Orlando Ortiz ended up driving in the winner after defensive miscues put a couple of St. Louis runners on in the 8th.

Jorge Velasco pitched a solid game, and Quinn Allison had three hits.

Off day tomorrow, then a 4th of July DH against Philly!!

---------------------

[Afino]

Happy 4th!

It sure was for the Cardinals, who swept a doubleheader from the Phillies in St. Louis today, 8-1 and 8-7.

Angelo Pacheco pitched a 2-hitter in the opener for his 17th win.

Quinn Allison had a fun day. Two errors in each game, but homered and doubled in the second game, driving in 5 runs. Down 2 to start the 8th inning, Alan Cress doubled in two runs in a pinch hit role to put the Cards up by the final margin. Steve O'Herlihy struggled.

------------------------

Thursday, July 4th, 1901

Philadelphia Athletics: F. Gonzáles pitches a 5-hit shutout against the Washington Senators with 1 strikeouts and 2 BB allowed!

Pittsburgh Pirates: E. Oregel was injured while pitching. The Diagnosis: back stiffness. He's expected to miss about 1-2 weeks.

Boston Americans: R. González was injured while throwing the ball. The Diagnosis: strained abdominal muscle. He's expected to miss about 4 weeks.

New York Giants: E. Harkins was injured on a defensive play. The Diagnosis: mild oblique strain. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 4 days.

[Afino]

A balanced attack shot down the last-place Phillies today by a score of 9-3.

Every Cardinal had one hit, led by 2 RBI performances from Ortiz, Downing, and Lopez. Willie Keith added three hits.

Philly committed seven errors.

------------------

Friday, July 5th, 1901

Chicago Orphans: D. Castillo hits for the CYCLE, going 5-5 against the Brooklyn Superbas, with 3 RBI and 5 runs scored.

Chicago Orphans: D. Castillo goes 5-5 against the Brooklyn Superbas, with 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI and 5 R.

Brooklyn Superbas: J. Aguirre was injured while throwing the ball. The Diagnosis: hamstring strain. He's expected to miss about 2 weeks.

Milwaukee Brewers: J. García was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: hamstring cramp. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 5 days.

[Afino]

A nail-biter today, but the Cardinals held on for a 6-4 victory to complete the sweep over the Phillies and extend the winning streak to 9.

Jorge Velasco almost blew a 3-run lead in the 9th inning as Philadelphia had the tying run on 2nd with 1 out, but Pablo Gutierrez came in and shut down the Philly lineup for the save.

Off again tomorrow, against Brooklyn next.

We're exactly halfway through the 1901 season. St. Louis carries a 50-20 record and a 13.5 game lead.

-----------------

Monday, July 8th, 1901

CF S. Kelly of the Philadelphia Athletics honored: Wins the MLB AL Player of the Week Award.

CF R. Foster of the New York Giants honored: Wins the MLB NL Player of the Week Award.

Saturday, July 6th, 1901

Cleveland Blues: P. Holmes pitches a 3-hit shutout against the Milwaukee Brewers with 5 strikeouts and 4 BB allowed!

Boston Beaneaters: M. Piper pitches a 3-hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds with 7 strikeouts and 0 BB allowed!

Philadelphia Athletics: M. Everett was injured in a collision at a base. The Diagnosis: blurred vision. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 2 days.

Philadelphia Athletics: V. Huffman was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: strained rib cage muscle. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 4 days.

[Afino]

Lead is 13.5

[Afino]

This one was over pretty quickly. St. Louis teed off on Brooklyn starter Kennedy in a 9-2 win over the Superbas.

All 9 runs were scored in the first three innings. Angelo Pacheco, in addition to his 10 K's in 7 innings for his 18th win, went 4-4 with 2 RBI!! He's a double threat, I tell ya.

---------------------

Monday, July 8th, 1901

CF S. Kelly of the Philadelphia Athletics honored: Wins the MLB AL Player of the Week Award.

CF R. Foster of the New York Giants honored: Wins the MLB NL Player of the Week Award.

Boston Beaneaters: S. Nichols pitches a 5-hit shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates with 3 strikeouts and 3 BB allowed!

Baltimore Orioles: M. Badía was injured while pitching. The Diagnosis: herniated disc (neck). He's expected to miss about 4 weeks.


The Philadelphia Phillies traded 25-year old shortstop R. López to the New York Giants, getting 30-year old right fielder M. Roberts in return.

[Afino]

It was Steve O'Herlihy's turn for a shutout today.

Not to be outdone by his teammates, O'Herlihy fired a 6-hitter to shut out Brooklyn by a score of 4-0. Thomas, Downing, and Burt went 4-9 with all 4 RBI's to provide the offense.

The Cardinals have now won 10 in a row!

----------

Tuesday, July 9th, 1901

St. Louis Cardinals: S. O'Herlihy pitches a 6-hit shutout against the Brooklyn Superbas with 4 strikeouts and 1 BB allowed!


Washington Senators: L. Molina was injured in a collision at a base. The Diagnosis: bruised shin. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 4 days.

[Afino]

You think after the last game, Jorge Montalvo was going to be outdone??

Epic pitcher's duel today at Robison Field, where the win streak hits 12.

Sean Turner and Jorge Montalvo were scoreless through regulation. Turner 4 hits, Montalvo 2. St. Louis nearly scored the winning run in the 9th, but Duarte was thrown out at the plate trying to score from 2nd on a base hit to center

We remained scoreless through 10.....


....and through 11......

In the 12th, Ernie Lopez led off with a double. Willie Keith did his job and hit the ball to the right side to put Lopez on 3rd. At this point, with the catcher on 3rd, I sent in Alvarado to pinch run. Manny Torres was intentionally walked, and Quinn Allison made them pay with an RBI single for the 1-0 win!!!

Regardless, it was one of the most fun games I've ever played out.

Turner gave up 7 hits and that one run in 11.1 IP, striking out 4 and walking 3, two intentionally.

Montalvo went all 12 IP, gave up 3 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 7. His game score? 101. First game score over 100 for a pitcher that I've ever seen in OOTP.

Another off day tomorrow. Against the Giants next!

--------------------

Thursday, July 11th, 1901

Boston Americans: B. Holley goes 0-3 against the Philadelphia Athletics, ending his hitting streak at 20 games.

Wednesday, July 10th, 1901

Boston Americans: B. Holley goes 2-3 against the Philadelphia Athletics, extending his hitting streak to 20 games!

St. Louis Cardinals: J. Montalvo pitches a 3-hit shutout against the Brooklyn Superbas with 7 strikeouts and 2 BB allowed!

Boston Beaneaters: L. Delgado was injured in a collision at a base. The Diagnosis: herniated disc (neck). He's expected to miss about 1-2 weeks.

[Afino]

Angelo Pacheco shook off some early jitters to pick up his 19th win of the season in a 5-4 win over the Giants. It is the 13th win in a row for the Cardinals!

Pacheco gave up 4 runs (2 earned) in the first 3 innings, but John Burt bailed him out with a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 3rd. Willie Keith had the winning RBI in the 4th as Pacheco settled down, still had a complete game with 10 strikeouts.

------------------

Friday, July 12th, 1901

Milwaukee Brewers: J. O'Savage pitches a 4-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox with 6 strikeouts and 0 BB allowed!

Cincinnati Reds: E. Washington goes 5-6 against the Brooklyn Superbas, with 1 2B, 3 RBI and 2 R.

Milwaukee Brewers: T. Coleman was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: bruised wrist. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 5 days.

[Afino]

Sometimes you gotta win ugly.

St. Louis committed TEN errors in this game, but New York also had 7, and the Cardinals won their 14 in a row, surviving a war of suck 8-7.

Willie Keith had 4 and Quinn Allison had 3.

Not much real offense as only 2 of the 15 runs scored were earned.

Games like these make me wish errors were a lot less in these days....just astonishes me how blue-rated infielders can have 25 errors in 80 games.

-------------------------

[Afino]

Apparently you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Jorge Montalvo is the hottest pitcher in baseball. He picked up his 2nd straight shutout and 3rd in his last 5 games as the Cardinals won their 15th straight, 6-0 over the Giants.

Duarte, Lopez, and Keith with 2 RBI each.

It's an absolute runaway now, as the lead is 16.5 games.

------------------

Sunday, July 14th, 1901

St. Louis Cardinals: J. Montalvo pitches a 6-hit shutout against the New York Giants with 1 strikeouts and 2 BB allowed!

Chicago Orphans: S. Sullivan goes 3-4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, extending his hitting streak to 20 games!

[Afino]

.

[Afino]

Yawn.

[Afino]

The game of "can you top this?" continues.

Angelo Pacheco is the first 20-game winner in MLB history, securing a 5-hit shutout in a 3-0 win over the Giants. The Cardinals have won 16 in a row, with 4 shutouts in the last 6 games!

The only threats that game up were erased by three double plays, including one in the 8th when New York was threatening.

Off day tomorrow, then home against Boston for 4.

----------------------

Monday, July 15th, 1901

2B G. Cruz of the Detroit Tigers honored: Wins the MLB AL Player of the Week Award.

C D. Rush of the Boston Beaneaters honored: Wins the MLB NL Player of the Week Award.

St. Louis Cardinals: Á. Pacheco pitches a 5-hit shutout against the New York Giants with 3 strikeouts and 0 BB allowed!

Chicago Orphans: S. Sullivan goes 0-4 against the Boston Beaneaters, ending his hitting streak at 20 games. Boston Americans: P. Mateo was injured on a defensive play. The Diagnosis: mild oblique strain. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 5 days.

[Afino]

Well, the Cardinals have won pretty much every which way during their winning streak.

They just added one more - a walkoff walk!!!

A 10th inning walk to Willie Keith drove in John Burt and the Cardinals fans went home happy for the 17th game in a row, 4-3 over Boston.

Steve O'Herlihy went the distance for his 14th win.

----------------------

Wednesday, July 17th, 1901

Cleveland Blues: The Cleveland Blues have announced that they set their team focus from 'Rebuilding' to 'Neutral'

New York Giants: J. Farris pitches a 1-hit shutout against the Chicago Orphans with 5 strikeouts and 2 BB allowed!

Cincinnati Reds: B. Curtis was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: strained back. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 4 days.

Boston Beaneaters: B. Mooney was injured while throwing the ball. The Diagnosis: hamstring soreness. He's expected to miss about 3 days.