MLHR: Major League Historical Replay... what if?

[Mike45]

Thank you very much. Much appreciated

[darnoff]

NL Season Wrap-up

There's no other way to put it but to say that the Giants ran away with the NL pennant this year. They played like a team possessed and no other team really put up much of a fight. Clearly looking to make up for last season's poor play, the Giants finished with one of the largest leads I have seen - winning the pennant by an incredible 20-game margin. Left fielder Dave Robertson (.279, 54 HR, 158 RBI) led the NL's #1 ranked offense with his best season at age 28 (he turned 29 during the final week of the season). Rookie Waite Hoyt (20-6, 2.87 ERA) gave the pitching staff a huge shot in the arm.

Cincinnati finished with the second best record in the league thanks to a pitching staff that allowed the 2nd fewest runs and a top ranked defense. Three starting pitchers really stood out this season - Dixie Davis (11-13, 2.98 ERA), Hod Eller (18-3, 3.17 ERA) and Herman Pillette (15-7, 3.03 ERA). The team's offense game along slowly and finished with a 4th place ranking. Where would this team be if it weren't for the slugging prowess of left fielder Ken Williams (.292, 41 HR, 129 RBI)?

Pittsburgh's offense was a mess, ranking next to last in the NL in terms of run-scoring ability. However, if they can find some offense next season, they will be dangerous thanks to an amazing pitching staff. Four of their five starting pitchers had ERA's below 3.30! The most amazing performance was team ace Dazzy Vance (20-6, 2.40 ERA) who struck out 331 batters in 247.2 innings. He became the first player since 1882 to reach 330 K's in a season, finishing second all-time to the Giants' Fred Goldsmith, who struck out 338 in 244.2 innings that year.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




National League Rosters

[darnoff]

AL Season Wrap-up

The Tigers pitching staff continued to hold up their end of the bargain, ranking 3rd in the AL, and with a full week left in the season, the team captured their first pennant since 1905. The Tigers had an impressive .275 team batting average with Harry Heilmann (.335, 29 HR, 137 RBI) winning the batting title. Ty Cobb (.318, 29 HR, 95 RBI, 119 R, 52 SB) and George Burns (.313, 24 HR, 74 RBI, 101 R) were in the batting race as well. On the pitching side, no pitcher was truly dominant but they performed very well as a group and all five starters had ERA's below 4.00 with 25-year-old Lefty Williams (16-9, 3.10 ERA) leading the way.

Chicago's streak of three straight pennants was snapped despite having the top pitching staff in the league. Ace Reb Russell (18-6, 2.29 ERA) was outstanding. Offensively, the team slid to 4th in the AL.

Boston's Babe Ruth (.315, 69 HR, 151 RBI) set a new MLHR record for home runs. Teammate Tris Speaker (.305, 29 HR, 73 RBI, 114 R) had another fine season, but much of the rest of Boston's lineup has been slumping. Their bullpen also fell apart this year and the team played poor defense. Not a good combination.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




National League Rosters

[darnoff]

1918 World Series

Game 1

The Giants came out swinging and tagged Tigers starter Lefty Williams for 7 runs over 4 innings. Meanwhile, Dick Rudolph pitched a complete game allowing just one unearned run. Giants first baseman George Kelly went 4-for-4.




Game 2

Today it was Detroit's turn to turn up the offensive heat. They clubbed San Francisco's rookie starter Waite Hoyt for 7 runs in 4 innings and they added 6 more runs off reliever Doc Crandall. Detroit starter Hooks Dauss allowed only one unearned run over 7 innings to earn the win.




Game 3

What an exciting game! The Tigers took a 2-0 lead with a 2-run home run by George Burns in the first inning off Rube Marquard. Marquard then settled down and did not allow another run over the next 5 innings. Meanwhile, Detroit's Eddie Cicotte was sharp, allowing just one run over 7 innings. However, Tigers closer Hub Pernoll allowed a solo homer to the first batter he faced in the 9th inning, Dave Robertson, and San Francisco tied the game 2-2. The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, but reliever Louis Drucke struck out pinch hitter George Harper to end the threat.

In the top of the 10th, Bernie Boland entered the game for Detroit and got two quick outs. Then he allowed a single to the other George Burns and Burns advanced to third on a passed ball and then a wild pitch. That at-bat resulted in a walk for Heinie Groh and then Ross Youngs doubled home Burns to take a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 10th, the Giants brought in shaky closer George Smith who got an out and then allowed a single to Detroit's George Burns. Ty Cobb, who had been hitting just .167 on the Series, stepped up a drove a 2-run homer to win the game.




Game 4

This was another ugly game for the Tigers pitching staff as Howard Ehmke allowed 7 runs (6 earned) over 5 innings. San Francisco's Jeff Tesreau tossed 7 innings and allowed just 2 runs. Heinie Groh hit two home runs for the Giants and Dave Robertson went 3-for-5 with a home run of his own.




Game 5

Detroit led this game 3-0 after 6 innings behind Lefty Williams. Then in the 7th, Williams allowed four hits and a walk, plating three runs and tying the game. In the top of the 9th, Giants shortstop Gene Paulette hit an RBI double off reliever Alex Main. Then with 2 outs, Paulette scored on a double by George Burns to give San Fran a 5-3 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, Giants reliever Al Demaree walked two batters and Bobby Veach reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Demaree then walked in a run and the Giants turned to closer George Smith to face Detroit's 3-4-5 hitters. Amazingly, he got Ty Cobb to ground into a 4-2 force play. Then Harry Heilmann popped up to second base and Baby Doll Jacobson grounded out to 3rd to end the game and give the Giants a 3-2 Series lead on their way home to San Francisco.




Game 6

The Tigers offense jumped out early on Waite Hoyt again, this time scoring 5 runs in 5 innings. Hooks Dauss pitched well again, allowing just 2 runs over 7 innings. The Tigers offense hit 4 home runs to the dismay of the San Francisco crowd and the Series is now tied 3-3.




Game 7

What an incredible finish! The Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 3 innings off Rube Marquard. The Giants came back to score three runs to make it 5-3, but that is all they got in 7 innings off Eddie Cicotte. In the bottom of the 8th, Detroit setup man Bugs Raymond relieved Cicotte and promptly gave up a single and a game-tying 2-run homer to Heinie Groh. Raymond did settle down and wound up allowing no more runs over 2 1/3 innings, but the damage was done. In the top of the 11th, pinch hitter Wally Pipp hit a leadoff double off Jeff Tesreau. He was removed for pinch runner Donie Bush. After a strikeout, Bush scored on a double from George Burns. Tesreau then struck out the remaining two batters, Cobb and Heilmann, but Detroit had the lead. Tigers closer Hub Pernoll took the mound in the bottom of the 11th and got three straight outs to seal the win and claim Detroit's first ever World Series title!




Recap

Both teams hit very well in the series with both teams winning two blowouts each. The difference then was the fact that Detroit won two of the three close games thanks to a slightly more reliable bullpen. Neither team is known for their bullpens and San Francisco is believed to have better starting pitching, but Detroit's starters performed better as a whole. It is hard to pick a Giants weakness exploited by Detroit. Rather, I believe this was an evenly matched, exciting, hard-fought World Series.

Series MVP

Hooks Dauss, SP, DET: 2-0, 14.0 IP, 6 BB, 10 K, 1.29 ERA

[darnoff]

Season Awards


NL Batter of the Year




NL Pitcher of the Year




NL Rookie of the Year




NL Fireman Award




NL Gold Gloves
P - Herman Pillette, CIN
C - Dick Cotter, PHI
1B - Dick Hoblitzell, CIN
2B - Johnny Rawlings, CIN
3B - Heinie Groh, SFG, (4th overall)
SS - Dave Bancroft, PHI
LF - Ken Williams, CIN (3rd overall)
CF - Max Carey, PIT (3rd overall)
RF - Pat Duncan, PIT


AL Batter of the Year




AL Pitcher of the Year




AL Rookie of the Year




AL Fireman Award




AL Gold Gloves
P - Ed Walsh, CHA (2nd overall)
C - Wally Schang, OAK (2nd overall)
1B - George Burns, DET
2B - Del Pratt, BAL
3B - Ray Chapman, CLE (2nd consecutive)
SS - Buck Weaver, CHA
LF - Tillie Walker, MIN (3rd overall)
CF - Benny Kauff, NYA
RF - Irish Meusel, MIN

[darnoff]

1919 National League Rookies


Virgil Barnes, SP, Age 21, Giants

Barnes will be fighting for a spot in the rotation from Day 1. He may earn the #5 starter's job, or he may pitch out of the bullpen initially. Either way, I am sure he will be a regular in the rotation soon. This is a great pickup for San Fran as their rotation was beginning to show some signs of age.




Frankie Frisch, 2B, Age 21, Giants

Frisch is exactly what the Giants need - a prototypical leadoff hitter with speed who gets on base a lot and plays great defense. They couldn't ask for more. His primary position is second base, but he can also play third base or shortstop, so the questions is, where will he play? The Giants have light-hitting Gene Paulette (.260, 5 HR, 40 RBI in 465 AB) at shortstop, but he is so good defensively that they hate to move him. Then, they have 32-year-old Larry Doyle (.246, 28 HR, 83 RBI), a 2-time BoY, at second base. His bat is still potent, but he has always been a big defensive liability. Frisch would be a big offensive upgrade at shortstop and a huge defensive improvement at second. At least initially, I think he may play at shortstop with Paulette getting a lot of work at second base as a defensive replacement and part-time starter, but I believe his long term home will be second base.




Cliff Lee, LF, Age 22, Pirates

The Pirates desperately needed more offense to compliment the best pitching staff in the NL as they try to chase the Giants. The Pirates already have a talented outfield, so Lee looks destined to give the team long-term stability at first base, which they have sorely needed. However, he may play his rookie season behind the plate because the Pirates platoon of defensive whiz Dots Miller (.197, 6 HR, 30 RBI) and free-swinging slugger Newt Hunter (.239, 10 HR, 24 RBI) is currently a better option than the choices they have as catchers.




Earl Smith, C, Age 21, Giants

Smith looks as though he may be the top offensive catcher in the league already. The Giants already have Chief Meyers (.286, 6 HR, 55 RBI) behind the plate. Meyers is productive but also age 34. Expect Smith to take over right away.

[darnoff]

1919 American League Rookies


Bucky Harris, 2B, Age 22, Twins

Harris is reliable at getting on-base and may bat 1st or 2nd in Minnesota's lineup, setting the table for big boppers Irish Meusel (.300, 47 HR, 108 RBI) and Tillie Walker (.226, 44 HR, 102 RBI). Harris also has some speed and is a fine defender. All of these things should help the Twins improve.




Dickey Kerr, SP, Age 24, White Sox

The White Sox already had a superb pitching staff, but they have strengthened that staff with the addition of Kerr, and fellow rookie Charlie Robertson (6-7-5 ratings). Kerr could develop into a top tier starter but he won't have the pressure of that role for a number of years with 2-time PoY Reb Russell (18-6, 2.29 ERA) leading the way.




Lefty O'Doul, LF, Age 21, Yankees

The Yankees have been in need of additional offense for their entire 18-year history. O'Doul should provide plenty of that with his high batting average and home run totals that will be close to 40 per year. His weakness is defense, but the team will bury him in left field and surround him with some better defenders. They just need him to hit a lot, and I think the Yankees will be pleased with what he provides.




George Uhle, SP, Age 20, Indians

The Indians were in need of a young ace like Uhle. Long-time ace Addie Joss (10-13, 3.66 ERA) is 38 now and Heinie Berger (6-16, 3.91 ERA) is 37. The team still needs offense, but Uhle should provide an immediate impact. I wonder how good Uhle will be without a stellar defense behind him though.




Curt Walker, RF, Age 22, Yankees

Walker gives New York another potent bat behind fellow rookie O'Doul. Walker should replace Guy Zinn (.215, 24 HR, 95 RBI) in right field. Zinn had a down year after being very productive for the first seven years of his career. The Yankees could be quite good this year if their pitching staff can get back to being as strong as they once were.




Al Wingo, LF, Age 20, Athletics

Wingo is a great contact hitter but does not have the speed to be a true leadoff man. The Athletics offense is loaded, so finding a spot for Wingo is tough. However, if he does not split time in the outfield, he could possible become the regular centerfielder with Whitey Witt (.277, 8 HR, 45 RBI) moving to the infield. If they do that, the A's will be further downgrading the defense in an already weak-fielding outfield.

[darnoff]

1919 Key Retirees - Batters


Jimmy Archer, C, Pirates

4-time Gold Glover. Was a mainstay throughout the team's heyday.




Joe Cassidy, SS, Twins

Regarded as the finest defensive middle infielder ever... yes, ever. That explains why he collected 6,414 plate appearances despite a career .247 OBP. His career zone rating at shortstop was +179.2!! He won 5 Gold Gloves and finished second many more times.




Birdie Cree, RF, Yankees

Won two Gold Gloves. Finished in the Top 10 in hits twice, doubles three times, triples four times and OBP three times.




Buck Freeman, 1B/RF, Braves

Freeman was fortunate enough to begin his career at 18 and he made the most of it, playing 20 years and collecting an amazing 772 home runs, 3137 hits, 666 doubles, 1740 runs and 2074 RBI. What is most amazing is that he did this while never being named Batter of the Year. Freeman was consistently powerful and a clutch performer, but there was always someone with gaudier numbers - Mike Donlin, Bill Lange, Honus Wagner and Nap Lajoie - all Hall of Famers who beat out Freeman for BoY honors several times. Since then, Freeman has been overlooked while younger players put up big numbers - players such as Fred Luderus and Rogers Hornsby. That said, no one disputes Freeman's talent and contributions to the game. Unfortunately, he languished for two decades with the lowly Braves and never got a shot at the World Series. He led the NL in home runs five times, RBI twice and SLG three times.




Baldy Louden, SS, Yankees

Won three Gold Gloves. Finished in the Top 10 in stolen bases twice.




Chief Wilson, RF, Pirates

Named the 1908 Rookie of the Year. Won one Gold Glove. Finished in the Top 10 in home runs and RBI five times each.

[darnoff]

1919 Key Retirees - Pitchers


Frank Corridon, Cubs

Won one Gold Glove. Led the league with 23 wins in 1905. Finished in the Top 10 in innings four times, ERA three times, WHIP three times, BB/9 four times and VORP three times.




Jimmy Dygert, Athletics

Named the 1908 Pitcher of the Year. Was part of Oakland's pitching rotation for seven pennants and four World Series victories. Led the league in wins twice and ERA once. Finished in the Top 10 in strikeouts nine times, ERA seven times, WHIP seven times, K/BB six times, H/9 ten times, K/9 eleven times, VORP six times and quality starts nine times.




Bugs Raymond, Tigers

Won 20 games for the Tigers in 1909 and later was the runner-up in the Fireman Award voting as a reliever in 1917. As a starter, he finished in the Top 10 in K/9 six times and WAR four times.




Tom Walker, Athletics

Walker was in the A's starting rotation for seven pennants and four World Series victories. He is most well known for setting a nearly unbreakable record with a 92.3 winning percentage thanks to a 24-2 record in 1908. He also led the AL with 20 wins the following year. After eleven seasons in the Oakland rotation, he spent six more in the bullpen and retired with exactly 200 wins. He led the AL in winning percentage four times, innings pitched twice, shutouts twice and complete games once. In 1902 as a rookie, he led the AL in ERA, quality starts and VORP and actually finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year vote to Cleveland's Charlie Smith (14-13, 2.58 ERA, 6.6 WAR).

[darnoff]

Originally Posted by darnoff

Joe Cassidy, SS, Twins

Regarded as the finest defensive middle infielder ever... yes, ever. That explains why he collected 6,414 plate appearances despite a career .247 OBP. His career zone rating at shortstop was +179.2!! He won 5 Gold Gloves and finished second many more times.

Upon further research, it appears that Cassidy is certainly the best SS in American League history, but the best defensive SS of all time has to go to Dodgers Hall of Famer Hughie Jennings, a 7-time Gold Glover. Here are the Top 5 all-time shortstops in terms of Zone Rating:

1. 225.0, Jennings, LAD
2. 178.2, Cassidy, MIN
3. 164.7, Honus Wagner, PIT
4. 122.0, Jack Glasscock, PIT
5. 120.5, Monte Ward, LAD

Here are the Top 5 in terms of Defensive Efficiency:

1. 1.058, Cassidy, MIN
2. 1.055, Jennings, LAD
3. 1.045, Glasscock, PIT
4. 1.041, George Wright, ATL
5. 1.038, Bob Allen, PHI

Wagner is 6th at 1.036

[darnoff]

1919 Hall of Fame Induction


Bug Holliday, CF, Reds

2520 H, 335 doubles, 43 triples, 540 HR, 1342 R, 1451 RBI, 766 BB, 2519 K, 77 SB, .264 AVG, .319 OBP, .477 SLG, .796 OPS, 123 OPS+, 9563 AB, 2603 G

2 Gold Gloves

All-time leaderboards Top 20: HR (9th), RBI (19th)

[darnoff]

1919 NL Preseason Predictions

After adding several talented rookies in the offseason, the defending NL champion Giants are primed for another pennant. They are expected to pull away early as they did last season. They have nary a weakness, with defense being their biggest concern.

The Pirates believe they are ready to challenge the Giants thanks to the addition of rookie Cliff Lee (7-6-7-4-5 ratings) behind the plate. They know they have the best pitching staff around, and any additional offense should be key in their attempt to unseat San Francisco. However, they still have several offensive holes, so they will need some of the veteran role players to step up and perform well.

The Reds are in a similar spot. They have a top notch pitching staff, but they failed to address their offensive needs this offseason. That does not bode well for the Reds as several key players, such as 35-year-old Bob Bescher (.217 AVG, .300 OBP, 20 HR, 56 RBI, 80 R, 51 SB), are beginning to show their age.

The Cardinals and Cubs are built with offense. The Cubs have a little more pop in the lineup, but St. Louis boasts the best player in the NL in Rogers Hornsby (.320, 51 HR, 118 RBI). Hornsby will move his poor defensive range to first base this season, which allows the team to make a defensive improvement at second base with Sam Bohne. However, with 33-year-old Ed Konetchy moving to a backup role, they also lose his 5 Gold Gloves at first base.

Chicago is counting on their pitching staff improving and their offense being more consistent. That is yet to be seen, with the Cubs striking out more often in recent years.


Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)

Rank	Team	Rotation	Bullpen	Offense	Bench	Speed	Defense	Totals	Grade	Predicted Wins
1	San Francisco Giants	7	8	12	10	9	5	8.6	A	101	61
2	St. Louis Cardinals	7	7	8	10	7	9	7.7	B+	90	72
3	Pittsburgh Pirates	10	9	7	6	7	6	7.5	B	89	73
4	Chicago Cubs	6	7	10	9	6	7	7.5	B	88	74
5	Cincinnati Reds	9	6	5	6	9	9	7.2	B	85	77
6	Atlanta Braves	7	8	3	8	6	9	6.0	C	71	91
7	Los Angeles Dodgers	5	5	7	6	5	7	5.7	C	67	95
8	Philadelphia Phillies	7	8	1	1	6	8	4.9	D+	58	104

MLB results for the NL in 1919

Champs: Cincinnati Reds, (96-44, .686)
World Series: Reds defeated White Sox 5-3

For players who appear below on a team they are not playing with in MLHR, their MLHR team is listed in parenthesis

Combined WAR: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 6.7
Offensive WAR: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 5.8
Defensive WAR: Art Fletcher, Giants, 3.9
Batting Title: Edd Roush, Reds (White Sox), .321
On-Base%: George Burns, Giants, .396
Slugging%: Hi Myers, Dodgers, .436
Runs: George Burns, Giants, 86
RBI: Hi Myers, Dodgers, 73
SB: George Burns, Giants, 40
OPS+: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 150
AB/HR: Cy Williams, Phillies (Cubs), 48.3

Pitching WAR: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Cubs (Phillies), 7.5
Win%: Dutch Reuther, Reds (Cubs), .760
WHIP: Babe Adams, Pirates (Cardinals), 0.896
K/9: Hod Eller, Reds, 4.965
Innings: Hippo Vaughn, Cubs (Yankees), 306.2
K/BB: Babe Adams, Pirates (Cardinals), 4.000
ERA+: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Cubs (Phillies), 166
FIP: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Cubs (Phillies), 2.11


MLHR Milestone Watch

500 Home Runs
Fred Luderus, CHN, Age 33, 464 HR

300 Saves
Chick Brandom, PIT, Age 31, 265 Sv

3000 Innings Pitched
Ed Reulbach, CHN, Age 36, 2986.1 IP

[darnoff]

1919 AL Preseason Predictions

1919 was a remarkable season in MLB history. It's known for the Black Sox scandal, but this is also the season that Babe Ruth finally gave up pitching and became a regular outfielder. It also was Ruth's final season in Boston before being sold to the Yankees in December of 1919. However, this is MLHR and Ruth already has 319 career home runs. He will play his whole career in Boston. No one will be throwing the World Series, and no players will be banned for gambling. Now on to the season at hand...

After slipping to second place last year, the White Sox are again favored to win the pennant. They have the top pitching staff in the league and a good offense as well. Their bullpen slumped last year, so if they bounce back as expected, you can plan on seeing Chicago in first place for much of the season. And I admit, it would be fun to see the White Sox face the Reds in the 1919 MLHR World Series.

Despite the preseason predictions, Detroit is the defending World Series champions. While I do expect them to backslide, if their pitching staff can continue to perform well - thanks in large part to a much improved defense - then this team will stay in the mix all season. After all, they have a fantastic offense.

Both Oakland and Boston will be in the pennant chase, as usual. Both teams have strong pitching staffs, although both pitching staffs had some unexpected struggles last season - especially Oakland's bullpen. There's no reason to expect that bullpen to be much better this year. That puts pressure on the offenses, and Oakland's may be the best in the league, or at least second to Detroit's. Boston, on the other hand, should play good defense, but their offense rests on the shoulders of a few select men, like Ruth. They do not have the offensive depth that the other three contenders have.

Keep an eye on the Yankees this year. While I do not believe they have enough to capture the pennant, they just might be a surprise contender after making major upgrades to their offense over the winter.


Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)

Rank	Team	Rotation	Bullpen	Offense	Bench	Speed	Defense	Totals	Grade	Predicted Record
1	Chicago White Sox	9	8	7	8	9	9	8.2	A-	95	67
2	Oakland Athletics	8	6	10	12	7	6	7.9	B+	91	71
3	Boston Red Sox	8	8	9	4	5	9	7.7	B+	89	73
4	Detroit Tigers	6	6	10	11	7	8	7.7	B+	88	74
5	New York Yankees	6	9	9	6	7	5	7.0	B-	81	81
6	Cleveland Indians	8	6	6	6	6	6	6.4	C+	74	88
7	Minnesota Twins	7	7	3	7	7	8	6.0	C	70	92
8	Baltimore Orioles	5	8	2	5	8	6	5.2	C-	60	102

MLB results for the AL in 1919

Champs: Chicago White Sox, (88-52, .629)
World Series: Reds defeated White Sox 5-3

For players who appear below on a team they are not playing with in MLHR, their MLHR team is listed in parenthesis

Combined WAR: Babe Ruth, Red Sox, 9.4
Offensive WAR: Babe Ruth, Red Sox, 8.6
Defensive WAR: Del Pratt, Yankees (Orioles), 2.7
Batting Title: Ty Cobb, Tigers, .384
On-Base%: Babe Ruth, Red Sox, .456
Slugging%: Babe Ruth, Red Sox, .657
Runs: Babe Ruth, Red Sox, 103
RBI: Babe Ruth, Red Sox, 113
SB: Eddie Collins, White Sox (Athletics), 33
OPS+: Babe Ruth, Red Sox, 217
AB/HR: Babe Ruth, Red Sox, 14.9

Pitching WAR: Walter Johnson, Twins, 10.5
Win%: Eddie Cicotte, White Sox (Tigers), .806
WHIP: Walter Johnson, Twins, 0.985
K/9: Eric Erickson, Tigers and Twins (Giants), 5.523
Innings: Eddie Cicotte, White Sox (Tigers) and Jim Shaw, Twins, 306.2
K/BB: Walter Johnson, Twins, 2.882
ERA+: Walter Johnson, Twins, 215
FIP: Walter Johnson, Twins, 2.07


MLHR Milestone Watch

3000 Hits
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 32, 2986 Hits

117 Triples
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 32, 109 Triples - This will tie him for the all-time record!

500 Home Runs
Frank Baker, OAK, Age 32, 464 Home Runs

1500 RBI
Frank Baker, OAK, Age 32, 1491 RBI
Gavvy Cravath, BOS, Age 35, 1373 RBI

1500 Runs
Tris Speaker, BOS, Age 30, 1402 Runs

500 Stolen Bases
Fritz Maisel, NYY, Age 29, 447 SB

700 Games Pitched
Tom Walker, OAK, Age 37, 685 G
Ray Fisher, NYY, Age 31, 626 G
Bugs Raymond, DET, Age 36, 618 G

250 Wins
Addie Joss, CLE, Age 38, 232 W

200 Wins
Walter Johnson, MIN, Age 31, 192 W
Joe Wood, BOS, Age 29, 184 W

4000 Innings Pitched
Chief Bender, OAK, Age 34, 3784.2 IP

3000 Innings Pitched
Walter Johnson, MIN, Age 31, 2972.0 IP
Tom Walker, OAK, Age 37, 2968.2 IP
Jimmy Dygert, OAK, Age 34, 2882.2 IP

3500 Strikeouts
Chief Bender, OAK, Age 34, 3470 K
Ed Walsh, CHA, Age 37, 3418 K

3000 Strikeouts
Walter Johnson, MIN, Age 31, 2935 K
Jimmy Dygert, OAK, Age 34, 2901 K
Joe Wood, BOS, Age 29, 2890 K

[darnoff]

NL Mid-Season Report

This has been a competitive season so far in the NL - honestly, that's more than I expected. Several teams have seen some time in first place, but the Cubs and Pirates have spent the most time in the top two spots in the standings. However, just as the month of June came to a close, the Cubs find themselves on a 7-game losing streak and the Pirates are on a 9-game losing streak. That has allowed the Cardinals to tie for first and the feared Giants to within one game of first. Those four teams have been the primary contenders so far this season, but the Reds are within 5 1/2 games thanks to an 18-7 record over the past four weeks.

The Cubs finished the month of June by being swept in four games in San Francisco. They are still ranked first in offense thanks to an outstanding first half by centerfielder Cy Williams (.265, 39 HR, 91 RBI). The team is also 2nd in pitching with a strong performance from their starting rotation. However, their bullpen has struggled. In fact, 2-time Fireman Award winner Zip Zabel has a 4.60 ERA over 29.1 innings.

Despite a starting rotation that ranks 5th in the league, the Cardinals have allowed the fewest runs in the NL. They have the best bullpen and best defense in the league thus far. One bright spot in the rotation has been Pol Perritt (11-3, 2.31 ERA). Offensively, the team ranks 3rd. They are led, as always, by Rogers Hornsby (.330, 24 HR, 61 RBI). This team should remain in the race all season.

The Giants' pitching staff has struggled so far and are ranked 5th in runs allowed. Their defense is the second worst in the NL too. Fortunately, their offense has been solid in all facets of the game, leading the NL in OBP and stolen bases while ranking 2nd in runs scored and home runs. Last year's BoY Dave Robertson (.323, 24 HR, 73 RBI) has been the driving force and rookie Frankie Frisch (.292 AVG, .332 OBP, 9 HR, 38 RBI, 43 R, 23 SB) has been great in the leadoff spot.

Pittsburgh had been doing well until an awful slump in late June. However, when you dig deeper, you see that they rank just 4th in offense, defense and pitching. Centerfielder Max Carey (.304, 13 HR, 53 RBI, 37 SB) has been their top performer. Pitchers Dazzy Vance and Al Mamaux both have ERA's under 3.00 but have a combined record of 11-12.

It is unclear if the Reds have what it takes to make a serious run in the second half. They languished around .500 for most of the early summer but are red hot lately. They rank 2nd in defense, 3rd in pitching and 5th in offense.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

[darnoff]

AL Mid-Season Report

Detroit is out to prove their detractors wrong. So far, they have the best record in MLHR and have a very strong chance at repeating as AL champs. Boston is 1 1/2 games back, but I believe Detroit has more overall talent than Boston. Plus, no other team in the AL has a winning record. The Tigers' pitching staff has been a pleasant surprise for the third year in a row, and the team leads the AL in defense. Right now, Lefty Williams (10-4, 2.22 ERA) has the best ERA in the AL and teammate Eddie Cicotte (7-4, 2.64 ERA) isn't far behind. Closer Hub Pernoll (4-2, 20 Sv, 1.75 ERA) is having another fine season too. Offensively, no one is posting gaudy numbers, but as a team they are highly productive. The team decided to move Ty Cobb (.306, 12 HR, 63 R, 30 SB) to the leadoff spot and it has worked so far, although there is always a chance that he could move back to batting 3rd.

Believe it or not, Boston is winning primarily due to their pitching, which ranks first in the league. After a down season, ace Joe Wood (11-3, 2.68 ERA) leads the staff. Collectively, their bullpen has the best ERA in the league. Tris Speaker (.318, 12 HR, 38 RBI), Babe Ruth (.367, 42 HR, 77 RBI) and Gavvy Cravath (.243, 26 HR, 67 RBI) continue to provide the vast majority of the team's offense. Some roster moves have paid off in terms of a much improved defense that is 2nd in the league, but their offensive production has lagged and relies almost entirely on their Big Three. Ruth has the most home runs at the halfway mark that I believe I have ever seen. He has a legitimate shot at surpassing 70 on the season!

Oakland's offense is #1 in the league, but their defense and pitching staff are both dead last. As for Chicago, their offense ranks 3rd but their vaunted pitching staff has slid to 7th in the league. I can't imagine that will continue, so I expect to see the White Sox bounce back. However, I've seen this before and they may have dug themselves into too big of a hole and I don't expect Detroit to slow down.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

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NL Season Wrap-up

The Giants went 20-8 in August to pull away from the pack and never really looked back as they captured their 6th pennant over seven years. Left fielder Dave Robertson (.309, 51 HR, 149 RBI) had another BOY-caliber season. Teammates Ross Youngs (.311, 18 HR, 98 RBI, 25 SB) and Frankie Frisch (.304, 14 HR, 93 R, 53 SB) also finished among the leaders of the batting race with averages over .300. Sophomore Waite Hoyt (18-10, 2.84 ERA) has put together back-to-back great seasons, proving that last year's rookie campaign in which he won 20 games was not a fluke.

St. Louis finished with three batters who hit over 20 homers. Sophomore reliever Oscar Tuero actually led the team with 160 strikeouts as a reliever! He even won 14 games without ever starting once! Meanwhile, OOTP threw a wrench into team ace Jakie May's season. Somehow on the Player Strategy page he had a max pitch count of 1. Unfortunately, I never noticed until the last 2 weeks of the season. He certainly could have helped the team be more of a challenge for San Fran if he were able to pitch a full season. Instead, he started 33 games and tossed just 70 innings - 18 of them in his final three starts after I made the change.

The Cubs led the NL in home runs again and scored the second most runs. Centerfielder Cy Williams' bat cooled off in the second half, and his average dropped to .236 but he still wound up hitting 63 dingers. Chicago's pitching staff performed much better than we are accustomed to seeing out of this franchise. If that holds true next season, Chicago should be in the heat of the race again.

Pittsburgh's pitching staff led the team once again, but their offense was much improved over recent years. They certainly hope that is the beginning of an upward trend. Centerfielder Max Carey (.314, 31 HR, 112 RBI, 76 SB) was a huge stand-out this year. Rookie Cliff Lee (.285, 20 HR, 99 RBI) also provided a much needed boost for the team.

Cincinnati's pitching staff wound up ranked #1 by the end of the year, but their offense was just 6th. They need a lot of upgrades in the lineup if they hope to compete with the likes of San Francisco any time soon.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




National League Rosters

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AL Season Wrap-up

At the end of August, Detroit held an 8-game lead over Boston even after losing 3 of their final 4 games in the month. Then in September, Detroit won just 5 of their first 24 games! After finishing the next-to-last week of the season with two wins in Cleveland, the Tigers entered the final week in a tie with Boston for first place. The Tigers won 2-of-3 games in Oakland while the Red Sox won 2-of-3 at home against the White Sox to remain tied.

As luck would have it, the two league leaders would go head-to-head in Boston for the final three days of the season. In the first game, Boston's Dutch Leonard (15-9, 3.51 ERA) outdueled Bernie Boland (11-9, 3.83 ERA) 3-1 to take the lead. On the next day, Boston ace "Smoky" Joe Wood (20-6, 2.47 ERA) pitched a gem, allowing just 4 hits and 3 walks over 8.1 shutout innings as the Red Sox defeated Lefty Williams (20-8, 2.41 ERA) and the Tigers 4-1 to clinch their first pennant in five years.

Detroit was crushed after the epic collapse. Even I was disappointed, because I believe that Detroit has a much better team. However, give credit to Boston for playing hard all season and finishing strong like they did. Other than the Big Three in their offense, Boston's primary strength is its pitching, which should provide an exciting matchup against the San Francisco Giants offense. It will also be interesting to see if Boston can manufacture enough runs to win games against a good Giants pitching staff.

It's also worth mentioning that Yankees rookie left fielder Lefty O'Doul (.341, 26 HR, 90 RBI) won the batting crown in his first season!


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




National League Rosters

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1919 World Series

Game 1

The Giants started off right away with a run off two singles in the first inning against Boston ace Joe Wood. Wood and his opponent, Dick Rudolph, seemed to have everything under control after that. After seven innings, the score was still 1-0. Then in the top of the 8th, Tris Speaker hit a 2-out solo home run off Rudolph to tie the game. Boston made another dramatic move. In the previous inning, they brought in closer Fritz Coumbe to bail out Wood from a 2-out, bases loaded jam and he did just that by striking out power hitter Ross Youngs. Coumbe then went on to pitch the 8th, 9th and 10th innings without allowing a base runner!

In the top of the 11th, Giants reliever Ferdie Schupp allowed three singles to score a run and give Boston a 2-1 lead. With one out, he then intentionally walked pinch hitter Duffy Lewis to load the bases and setup a force play. San Fran then brought in closer Rosy Ryan to get out of the jam. He struck out shortstop Everett Scott and then left-handed batting second baseman Larry Gardner pulled a ball sharply down the first base line. A normally sure-handed George Kelly misplayed the ball and another run scored. Ryan then struck out catcher Les Nunamaker to end the bases loaded threat.

Now with a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 11th, the Red Sox had things wrapped up, right? Not so fast, said Giants left fielder and 1918 BOY Dave Robertson as he led off the inning with a solo homer off new reliever Rube Kroh, a lefty who was brought in just to face lefty batters like Robertson. Kroh struck out the next two batters but then third baseman Heinie Groh singled to keep the game alive. Light-hitting shortstop Gene Paulette followed with another single, moving Groh to third and suddenly the winning run was on first base with the pitcher's spot coming up. The Giants pinch hit with Fred Merkle, a dangerous right-handed bat used to face the lefty Kroh, but Boston countered with right-handed pitcher Hugh Bedient, a former closer. With a 2-2 count, Bedient enduced a weak ground ball from Merkle which Bedient fielded himself and tossed to first base to end the game.

If this game was any sign, then this is going to be an exciting series!




Game 2

The Giants hit four home runs and scored seven runs in the first three innings off Boston starter Carl Mays, chasing him from the game early. It felt like a blowout the entire game, but then in the 8th, Boston scored three runs - two on Babe Ruth's second homer of the game followed by a solo shot from Gavvy Cravath. That was all the Red Sox could muster, but I think their point was made - as long as their pitching holds up and can handle the balanced Giants attack, the top of Boston's lineup can score runs.




Game 3

Boston got right to work in this game, scoring two runs in the first inning off Rube Marquard. They added a run in the 4th, but the Giants came right back to score two runs in the 5th off Rube Foster. Boston closer Fritz Coumbe relieved Foster with two shutout innings, sitting six Giants down in a row.




Game 4

With the game tied 1-1 in the top of the 3rd inning, Giants slugger Dave Robertson hit a 2-run homer off Ray Collins. His teammates pushed across another run in the inning, giving San Fran a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the 5th, Babe Ruth hit a 2-run home run with two outs off Jeff Tesreau to narrow the score to 4-3. Ruth then tied the game with a solo homer off reliever Eric Erickson in the 7th. In the 8th, Boston had runners at 1st and 3rd with two out but catcher Les Nunamaker struck out against Ferdie Schupp to end the threat. In the very next frame, George Burns tripled off Buck O'Brien with one out and scored on a sac fly by Ross Youngs. Closer Rosy Ryan then came in to finish off the heart of the Red Sox lineup, with a walk to Ruth his only blemish... but to be honest, that was probably the smartest thing he could have done - take Boston's main weapon out of the equation.




Game 5

Believe it or not, this was actually a close game through five innings as both pitchers - Joe Wood and Dick Rudolph - were tossing shutouts. In the 6th, Wood allowed three runs, two of them on a Dave Robertson homer. In the next inning, the wheels completely came off for Boston. Wood allowed a 2-run homer to Ross Youngs and then gave up a walk and a single. With one out, Boston brought in reliever Fred Anderson who got an out and then allowed a 3-run dinger to Gene Paulette, a man with just 11 career home runs. To add insult to injury, reliever Buck O'Brien walked the bases loaded in the 9th and then coughed up a Grand Slam to Robertson to cap off this shutout that turned into a 12-0 rout.




Game 6

What an incredible game! With the Giants up 3-games-to-2, this was do or die for Boston. Both starting pitchers - Waite Hoyt for San Fran and Carl Mays for Boston - pitched brilliantly. This was redemption for Mays after his first awful outing. He allowed just 2 hits and no runs over six innings. Hoyt allowed four hits and no runs over seven innings. With the score 0-0 in the top of the 7th, Boston loaded the bases with no outs. Hoyt remained in the game to face Boston's 7-8-9 hitters, who were barely hitting above .100 in the series. Sure enough, third baseman Fred Thomas struck out and shortstop Everett Scott flied out to shallow right field, unable to score a run. Now with two outs, Boston gambled and removed Mays for pinch hitter Larry Gardner, who flew out to end the threat.

Boston setup man Hugh Bedient entered the game and allowed three singles and one run, giving San Francisco a huge 1-0 lead. Then Tris Speaker, who had struggled throughout the series, hit a solo homer in the top of the 8th off Giants setup man Ernie Shore to tie the score back up. Bedient sat the 1-2-3 hitters in San Francisco's lineup down in the 8th. Then in the 9th, Boston third baseman Marty Krug got a clutch 1-out double. Boston pinch ran with speedy infielder Hap Myers, and then Fred Thomas flied out, leaving Myers at second with two outs. Boston decided to pinch hit for shortstop Scott and it paid off as Chick Shorten collected his second double in three pinch hit appearances, scoring Myers and giving Boston a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, Boston closer Fritz Coumbe had a 3-up, 3-down inning as the Red Sox won and tied the series, forcing a deciding Game 7.




Game 7

Boston scored quick thanks to a 3-run homer by Gavvy Cravath in the first inning off Rube Marquard. That really stung for the Giants, but they did get one of those runs back off a George Kelly double off Rube Foster. In the 4th, the Giants manufactured another run with a clutch 2-out single from Frankie Frisch to make it 3-2. In the top of the 5th, Cravath hit a huge double down the third base line that bounced around in foul territory, allowing two runs to score. They then added another run in the 6th when Everett Scott, who was 2-for-22 in the series before this game, shocked the Giants with a leadoff home run. San Francisco added two runs in the 7th, but Boston got one right back in the 8th. Hugh Bedient pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th for Boston and closer Fritz Coumbe got three straight outs in the 9th to clinch Boston's third World Series title!




Recap

San Francisco has a much more balanced lineup, but Boston scored runs when they needed them. Two of San Francisco's wins were blowouts, while Boston won three of the four 1-run games. There were two difference makers for Boston, as far as I am concerned. With almost no one doing anything around him, Babe Ruth managed to hit .385 with 4 homers and 7 RBI. He struck out plenty and drove in seven runs, but only one run came in Boston's four victories. Gavvy Cravath struck out even more, but he hit some clutch homers while knocking in 7 runs of his own. Tris Speaker hit just .233, but both of his homers came in crucial spots in games Boston won. It seemed like when Speaker was hitting, Boston was winning.

The second factor was closer Fritz Coumbe, who had the most dominant World Series performance I think I have seen. He pitched in five games and Boston won four of them. In the four victories, Coumbe earned a win and three saves. But more than that, he pitched more combined innings than two of Boston's starting pitchers. He tossed more than one inning in three of his four appearances, including an impressive 3 1/3 innings in Game 1. All in all, he pitched 9 1/3 innings, allowing one hit, no walks, no runs with five strikeouts, all on just 94 pitches. Amazing!

Series MVP

Fritz Coumbe, CL, BOS: 1-0, 3 SV, 9.1 IP, 1 H, 0.00 ERA, 5 K

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Season Awards


NL Batter of the Year




NL Pitcher of the Year




NL Rookie of the Year




NL Fireman Award




NL Gold Gloves
P - Virgil Barnes, SFG (rookie!)
C - Frank Snyder, STL
1B - George Kelly, SFG
2B - Rabbit Maranville, ATL (2nd overall)
3B - Heinie Groh, SFG, (5th overall)
SS - Dave Bancroft, PHI (2nd consecutive)
LF - Austin McHenry, STL
CF - Jack Smith, STL (2nd overall)
RF - Walton Cruise, STL (3rd overall)


AL Batter of the Year




AL Pitcher of the Year




AL Rookie of the Year




AL Fireman Award




AL Gold Gloves
P - Scott Perry, BAL (2nd overall)
C - Patsy Gharrity, MIN
1B - Joe Harris, NYA
2B - Harry Heilmann, DET
3B - Gene Robertson, BAL (rookie!)
SS - Ray Chapman, CLE (3rd consecutive, but previous 2 were at 3B)
LF - Billy Southworth, CLE (2nd overall)
CF - Happy Felsch, CHA (3rd overall)
RF - Ty Cobb, DET (3rd overall, but first in RF)

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1920 National League Rookies


Sheriff Blake, SP, Age 20, Pirates

Blake, and his two fellow rookie Pirates pitchers below, are all talented but will have a tough time cracking the best pitching staff in the game. I would say that Johnny Morrison has the best shot of making the rotation, while Blake and Whitey Glazner will battle for a spot in the bullpen. The Pirates still boast pitchers in the minor leagues that many other teams would have on their major league roster.




Whitey Glazner, SP, Age 24, Pirates




Johnny Morrison, SP, Age 24, Pirates




Pie Traynor, 3B, Age 21, Pirates

This is certainly an offseason to be a Pirates fan. Not only did the team significantly bolster their pitching staff, but they added Pie Traynor, a Hall of Famer who many consider to be the finest defensive third baseman of his day. Traynor should also be an above .300 hitter in MLHR and he may begin his career as the Pirates new leadoff hitter, something they needed desperately as they try to upgrade their offense.




Russ Wrightstone, 3B, Age 24, Phillies

No one needs an offensive upgrade any worse than the Phillies do. They added shortstop Dave Bancroft (.289, 80 R) in 1915 but have done little else to improve the worst offense in the majors. That's a shame too, because the Phillies have had a very good pitching staff for many years now and would be competitive with any kind of offense. Now comes Wrightstone, who will be a major upgrade at third base. It also helps that Wrightstone can play many positions and will be able to shift elsewhere if Philadelphia adds additional talent at the hot corner. Until then, Wrightstone will bat third, but he will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders in this weak lineup.