"Ain't Gonna Work As Topping's Farm No More" -- A's Baseball in a Reimagined Fifties - Page 7

jksander · 11-27-2024, 09:18 AM

September 22, 1959: We have four games left, this one in Cleveland and then three more in Detroit to wrap up the 1959 season. Jack Kralick (16-8, 2.62 ERA, 223.1 IP, 121 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) pitched against Carl Erskine (10-11, 4.71 ERA, 174.0 IP, 87 K’s, 1.39 WHIP). The game turned into a shootout early, and with two outs and a man on third in the bottom of the fifth we brought out Bob Rush, the score tied at 7-7. They wound up getting the lead before he got the final out. He pitched through the seventh, and Wells got us through the eighth still trailing by a run. In the top of the ninth we tied it up with an RBI double by Felipe Alou, and Kuykendall took over from there, getting this one into extra innings. Kuykendall pitched one of his best games of the year, getting us into the 13th inning, but we couldn’t get a damned run across. Bill Fischer took over for us in the bottom of the 13th, still knotted up at eight-all, and Ed Roebuck took over in the bottom of the 15th. In the bottom of the 17th we brought out Jim Donohue and his nearly 100-mph fastball, and that backfired on us when Charlie Neal led off with a solo homer to win it for Cleveland 9-8. What a crazy game! Donohue lost the game, falling to 0-1 with an 11.74 ERA, but the 20-year-old has only played a limited role this year with fewer than eight innings pitched in total ... if he can find some control over that insane fastball / curveball combo he’ll have a strong future with our club. We outhit the Guardians 18-16, led by Ed Bailey with two hits, two walks, two runs and three RBIs.

Pittsburgh clinched the pennant in the National League today with a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Braves, who will miss out on the Fall Classic after three dominant championship seasons -- they’ll finish fourth in the league this year. All the Dodgers and the Cardinals have left is the fight over who will finish second in the NL ... both teams are currently 90-61, with the Cardinals on a three-game winning streak.

September 25, 1959: Billy Pierce (9-8, 3.72 ERA, 186.1 IP, 110 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) started against Detroit’s Tom Brewer (11-13, 3.93 ERA, 229.0 IP, 105 K’s, 1.26 WHIP). Pierce pitched a complete game, but we blew a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh when the Tigers scored off a solo homer by Lee Walls and a two-run double by Russ Snyder, beating us 4-3. Pierce took the loss and will finish his season with a 9-9 record and a 3.70 ERA, having allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) with a walk and six strikeouts. We were outhit 7-6, led by Davis with a hit, a run and two RBIs.

September 26, 1959: Chuck Stobbs (14-7, 3.07 ERA, 176.0 IP, 81 K’s, 1.27 WHIP) pitched against Bob Kuzawa (9-14, 4.64 ERA, 165.0 IP, 79 K’s, 1.53 WHIP). We dug a three-run hole in the bottom of the first but clawed our way back to tie it in the top of the fifth with a two-run double by Ed Bailey. Bob Rush came out to pitch in the botom of the sixth and he stayed out through the eighth ... we came out to hit in the top of the ninth trailing 5-3, but would wind up batting around, scoring off a wild pitch and tying the score with an RBI single by Minoso. We’d score two more runs via singles by Alou and Siebern, and then Daryl Spencer, hitting for the second time in the inning, hit a double that drove in three more to put us up 10-5! Don Blasingame hit a solo homer off Rush to lead off in the bottom of the inning, so Shifflett came out to finish things off ... three quick outs and we’d won this insane game by a 10-6 margin! Rush earned the win, giving him a 4-7 record and a 3.90 ERA with three hits, three walks and three runs in his three innings. He has played in 43 games this year, saving four, and leads our bullpen with 94.2 innings.

The Yankees clinched the AL pennant with an 8-6 win over Baltimore in their second to last game of the season. They’ll head to the World Series to face Pittsburgh after missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 1954. The Bronx Bombers last took the title in 1955, and they’d love to get a win for the American League as Casey Stengel, nearing age 70, finishes his 20th season as a manager. He’s on contract with the team through 1962, but you never know how long a man will want to keep putting up with the relentless drive to win that exists in New York.

September 27, 1959: It’s the final game of the year, Stan Williams (11-10, 3.34 ERA, 159.0 IP, 121 K’s, 1.31 WHIP) pitched against Detroit’s Frank Sullivan (11-11, 4.49 ERA, 244.1 IP, 132 K’s, 1.29 WHIP). Williams pitched a complete game, but Detroit took the lead by two in the bottom of the sixth and added on in the eighth, and they’d beat us in the end by a 3-2 margin. Williams finishes his season with an 11-11 record and a 3.34 ERA, after allowing nine hits tonight with four strikeouts and three earned runs ... but the season for him was a resounding success, improving in almost every metric and putting up 4.3 games of WAR. Detroit outhit us 9-7, Minoso leading the way for us with two hits and two runs.

Willie Davis, our rookie right fielder, finished the year with a .326 average and 30 doubles, 10 triples and 23 homers while playing in 142 games. He batted in 94 runs and stole 25 bases, putting up 7.3 WAR as a rookie. We knew he’d be good when we picked him sixth overall in this year’s draft, but we had no idea he’d get this good this quickly. On the pitching side, Jack Kralick led the American League in ERA, finishing 16-8 with a 2.72 ERA and 122 K’s through 228 innings. His 1.13 WHIP was second only to Billy O’Dell’s 1.02 WHIP over in New York. He should at least be in the AL Cy Young conversation, along with Jim O’Toole (14-8, 2.82 ERA, 210.2 IP, 114 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) who finished with 5.4 WAR. But it’s going to be hard to beat Camilo Pascual, who pitched for a terrible Washington team and still finished with a 17-10 record, a 3.39 ERA and 176 K’s while pitching nearly 275 innings.

We finished the season with a record of 86 wins and 68 losses, good for third place in the AL (six games back of Cleveland and seven games up on Washington). That’s a 15-win improvement on last year’s 71-83 record before I took over, and we’re firmly on track to reach the playoffs well before our owner Kelly Schober’s goal of a World Series by ’63.

jksander · 11-27-2024, 11:12 AM

1959 World Series
New York Yankees (94-60) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (97-57)

Pittsburgh comes into this series as the surprise of Major League Baseball. They went into the offseason fully ready to buy in after finishing fourth last year in the NL with a record of 80-74. Their 17-game improvement is owed in no small part to the brilliance of trading for Willie Mays, who helped them to their first pennant win since 1927! The Pirates won the whole enchilada in 1909 and 1925 but only have seven pennants to their name, so they’re a nice contrast to the Yankees who have won 24 pennants and 17 titles including seven since World War II ended.

September 30, 1959: The series got going today in New York, with the Yankees’ Billy O’Dell (15-10, 2.81 ERA, 268.2 IP, 150 K’s, 1.02 WHIP) facing off against Pittsburgh’s Mike Cuellar (20-12, 2.48 ERA, 290.1 IP, 160 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) in front of a capacity crowd that pushed 59,000. A Bob Cerv flyball double in the bottom of the second pushed the Yankees into the lead, and they added on when Bobby Richardson hit a two-run single that was aided by an E9 throwing error. But in the top of the sixth Pittsburgh hit back hard -- Cuellar hit an RBI single to get them on the board and they tied it with a two-run blast by Bob Skinner, Willie Mays batting in a run with a double for the lead and then scoring himself off a Roberto Clemente single! The Pirates added on in the top of the ninth with a two-run double by Russ Nixon, and they stole one away from the Yankees on their own field with a 7-3 win! Cuellar was stellar (I’m a poet and I know it) as he pitched a complete game with eight hits, a walk and three runs (two earned), striking out a pair, while O’Dell may catch some hell for his 10 hits and seven runs (six earned) in his own complete game. Pittsburgh outhit the Yanks 10-8, led by Russ Nixon with two hits, a run and two RBIs, and by leadoff man Bob Skinner who hit once, scoring a run and driving in two.

October 1, 1959: For game two Pittsburgh matched Ron Kline (15-10, 2.98 ERA, 245.0 IP, 103 K’s, 1.20 WHIP) against New York’s Mike McCormick (17-12, 3.06 ERA, 267.2 IP, 166 K’s, 1.34 WHIP), who tied with a number of other pitchers to lead the AL in wins. The Pirates took the lead in the top of the second with an RBI single by Russ Nixon, and a Willie Mays RBI double added on for them in the top of the third. Tony Kubek batted in a run with a single to put the Yankees on the board in the bottom of the fifth, but Pittsburgh took no prisoners in the top of the seventh when Mays hit a two-run homer and Dick Groat batted in two more with a double to take a 6-1 lead as the Yankees fans looked stunned. But the Yankees battled back with three runs in the seventh and another in the eighth, walking it off in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run double by Woodie Held to win this one for New York 7-6! Unbelievable ... that was a hell of a finish, and an epic collapse for the Pirates who really wanted to go back to Pittsburgh with a dominating series lead. Both starters went 6.2 innings, so the game was decided by the bullpens, and in that regard Pittsburgh was the clear loser ... Guillermo Martinez and Red Swanson pitched two innings and combined for five hits, a walk and three earned runs against them. Both teams had 11 hits apiece, Woodie Held leading the Yankees with two hits, a run and two RBIs, while Mays dominated for the Pirates with three hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs.

October 3, 1959: We’re in Pittsburgh for game three, the series tied up 1-1. Pittsburgh started Claude Osteen (14-6, 2.59 ERA, 191.0 IP, 132 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) against Vinegar Bend Mizell (17-10, 3.04 ERA, 245.1 IP, 142 K’s, 1.23 WHIP). And this one was a snoozer unless you’re a Yankees fan ... Mantle hit a sac-fly to score Mizell from third to go ahead in the top of the third, Held then batting in another with an RBI single. Alvin Dark added on in the top of the sixth when Kubek grounded out into a double play, and Lee Thomas hit a sac-fly to put them up by four in the top of the seventh. Thomas then hit a two-run homer as a ninth inning exclamation point, capping off the 6-0 shutout win. Mizell piched a complete game three hit shutout, walking four and striking out two, the Yankees outhitting Pittsburgh 13-3. Yawn ... Thomas was their best hitter, with two hits, a run and three RBIs.

October 4, 1959: Pittsburgh really needed a win today, and they put Bud Daley (12-6, 3.18 ERA, 152.2 IP, 77 K’s, 1.17 WHIP) up against the Yankees’ Billy Hoeft (17-7, 3.19 ERA, 220.0 IP, 123 K’s, 1.30 WHIP). The Yankees went up 2-0 in the top of the fourth with RBI singles by Woodie Held and Alvin Dark, but Pittsburgh answered with a two-run single by Roberto Clemente and an RBI triple by Frank Malzone in the bottom of the inning, retaking the lead. Willie Mays hit an RBI double in the fifth to extend their lead, and they held tough to win this one when they needed it, beating New York 5-1. Daley only lasted 6.2 innings, allowing five hits, four walks and two runs with five K’s, but Red Swanson redeemed himself with 2.1 innings and three hits, a walk, two strikeouts ... no runs. The Pirates outhit the Yankees 10-8, led by Clemente with three hits, two runs and two RBIs as we head into game five again knotted two games apiece.

October 5, 1959: Cuellar and O’Dell faced off for the second time in game five, and Pittsburgh took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Clemente, extending the lead when Frank Malzone hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Bill Mazeroski. Bob Skinner hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to add on, and this time Pittsburgh was on the winning end of the 4-0 shutout -- they’ll take the 3-2 series lead on the road to New York, leaving the Yankees little room for error. The two aces both pitched complete games again, and Cuellar improved to 2-0 in the playoffs with five hits, three walks and eight strikeouts, his ERA at 1.00 through his two World Series starts. Pittsburgh outhit New York 9-5, led by Skinner, who hit twice with a run and two RBIs in the leadoff spot.

October 7, 1959: Kline and McCormick faced off in game six, with Yankee Stadium even more bursting at the seams than before if you can believe it. And this one was hard-fought from the start. New York went up in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Woodie Held, adding on with an RBI double by Al Smith in the third. But Pittsburgh’s Ritchie Ashburn hit an RBI single to get on the board in the top of the fifth, and a Frank Malzone solo homer in the ninth tied it up at 2-2! This one went into extra innings and then became the most insanely brutal battle in World Series history ... both teams putting their bullpens to the test as nobody was able to score! New York finally got out of there with the win, walking it off in the bottom of the 20th inning with an RBI single by Held that gave them the 3-2 win they needed to force a game seven! The Yankees only used five pitchers, as they got 10 innings out of McCormick, who allowed nine hits with a walk, two runs and a strikeout. Billy Hoeft came out for three innings as a reliever to get the win, allowing one hit one walk and one strikeout in his three innings. Both teams had 13 hits apiece, the Yankees being led by Mantle who had two hits and a run scored. Mays only got one hit in eight at-bats, and the Pirates really needed him to be a catalyst in this one.

October 8, 1959: Everybody loves a game seven, and this one’s setting up to be a doozy! They announced 59,268 fans in attendance here at Yankee Stadium, but there were so many fire-code violations I’m sure there had to be more than 60,000 in here, with a conspicuous police presence just in case of rowdy folks trying to cause trouble. Osteen and O’Dell faced off in the final battle, and Pittsburgh took the lead in the top of the second thanks to an RBI single by Russ Nixon. Roberto Clemente hit a solo homer in the fourth to extend the lead, but in the bottom of the sixth the Yankees struck back, an RBI single by Lee Thomas scoring their first run. Just moments later Alvin Dark hit an RBI single, and with two outs O’Dell walked in a run to put the Yankees ahead 3-2. The Pirates answered with a two-run homer by Andre Rodgers, and New York replied with a two-run single by Woodie Held, as this one turned into a tug-o’-war! But that was the last volley ... New York held tough down the stretch and the AL finally has its first World Series winner since the Yankees last won it in ’55 ... they beat Pittsburgh in the end 5-4. That’s about as good a series as you could ever hope to get, no matter how the end result laid out. O’Dell won the game with a seven inning effort, allowing seven hits, four runs (three earned) and a single walk, striking out a pair. Al Smith led the way with three hits and two runs, and Alvin Dark was named World Series MVP with 11 hits and a .379 average, batting in three runs during the series.

The New York Yankees are your 1959 World Champions, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.

- - - - -

October 11, 1959: Though we’ve offered a bunch of minor league extensions, the only remaining contract we had to settle up on was that of long reliever Bob Rush, who finished the season with a 4-7 record and four saves, compiling a 3.90 ERA and 56 K’s through 94.2 innings. He originally was asking for more than $30,000 per year for a two year extension, but we’ve talked him into sticking around at $22,500 for the next two seasons with the understanding that we plan to use him more as a spot starter in our doubleheaders, which should allow him to put together a significant innings tally. He’s a popular guy in the clubhouse, and we’re only paying him $2,500 more per year than he was already making, which makes him a solid bullpen investment even with him about to turn 34 in December.

October 24, 1959: Another offseason of baseball is upon us, and just like that we’re three weeks away from the player draft and, for the first time, a true season of pure free agency! Our owner wants us to continue to increase attendance, with a new goal of 27,000 (we broke 23,000 per game this season) and he’s added the goal of improving our bullpen ERA (this year our bullpen had a 4.45 ERA, good for sixth place in the AL). He also wants us to keep working on improving our farm system and the quality of our players reaching the majors. But the overall mood around here is excellent, as the team is vastly improved and with our White Sox destined for greatness in the coming decade. I am on contract through the next two seasons, and hope to get an extension if we can pull off a pennant win in 1960.

We’re set to pick 12th in the draft this year, so we’re going to have to dig to outdraft the teams ahead of us ... due to comp picks earned by not signing their picks from last year, Kansas City (1st and 3rd) and Baltimore (6th and 10th) get to pick twice this year. We’ll pick 10th in the second round and then we’ve got two third rounders (7th and 12th) so I’m hopeful we can make a solid impression this season. We have $835,360 in cash space right now which should allow us to hit the free agency market with all we’ve got if the right players are there to get us over the hump. We’ve upped our scouting budget ($125,460) and development budget ($188,190) to the league maximum, and I have our scout checking out the top 55 amateur players he hadn’t already built up a knowedge base on.

jksander · 11-27-2024, 05:06 PM

November 1, 1959: The AL has announced its annual Gold Glove awards, and Minnie Minoso was our lone winner, picking up the defensive award at first base for the first time in his career! Minoso had a +5.1 zone rating at first base this year with 1,377 putouts and 89 assists and just 12 errors all season.

November 2, 1959: Hersh Freeman, of the Detroit Tigers, was named the AL’s reliever of the year. He put up a record of 7-9 with 16 saves and a 2.46 ERA, striking out 32 batters in 95 innings’ work, putting up a 1.21 WHIP with 2.0 wins above replacement. The 31-year-old earned $52,640 this year but has yet to sign an extension with the Tigers, so he could soon be on the free agent market.

November 3, 1959: Minnie Minoso won the AL’s Platinum Stick award at first base, our only player to get the honor. He finished the season hitting .291 with 34 doubles, 23 homers and 75 RBI,s, stealing eight bases and putting up 5.9 WAR. Willie Davis was narrowly bested by Cleveland’s Rocky Colavito, who hit .267 with 37 homers, 113 runs scored and 7.5 WAR.

November 4, 1959: In a result that shocked nobody, Willie Davis was a unanimous winner of the AL’s Rookie of the Year honors, and while he’s not going to win the MVP this year, with too many ahead of him, he should place well in the conversation.

November 5, 1959: Casey Stengel won the Manger of the Year award in the AL after New York’s thrilling pennant and World Series come-from-behind victories, giving him his sixth such honor. Stengel, who has two years left on his Yankees contract, has a managerial record of 1,668-1,346 dating back to his days managing the Brooklyn Dodgers during the Great Depression.

November 6, 1959: New York’s Billy O’Dell won the Cy Young award in the AL, with Jim O’Toole of our White Sox finishing second overall in the vote. It wasn’t close, however ... O’Dell dominated this year with a 15-10 record and 2.81 ERA through 268.2 innings, striking out 150 batters with just 54 walked, giving him a 1.02 WHIP while starting 35 times. O’Dell won the award last year as well, and finished third in the vote back in ’56. The 27-year-old has a career record of 74-43 with an ERA of 2.72 through his first 1,100 innings of work. And since the Yankees have him locked in through ’65, he’s likely to be winning tons of games for New York in the coming years. Sandy Koufax was the NL’s Cy Young winner (no shock) giving that league a repeat winner as well ... the 23-year-old went 23-10 in a pitcher’s league, dominating with a 2.22 ERA and an incredible 334 K’s through 312.2 innings, giving him a 1.02 WHIP and 12.4 total WAR. Koufax is 81-45 through his first five seasons and has nearly 1,200 strikeouts already in his career. The Dodgers extended him by just one year, so he’ll earn $194,000 this year to pitch in LA ... but will they lock him up long term this coming season? If he ever hits free agency he could command half a million a year easy.

November 7, 1959: Mickey Mantle ended the decade with his third MVP Award in the AL, getting 15 of the league’s 16 votes (only Cleveland’s Norm Cash, who finished second, got a first place vote other than Mantle). Roger Maris of the Guardians finished a close third, with Ernie Banks and Rocky Colavito rounding out the top five (Willie Davis finished sixth, just one point out of fourth place as a rookie. Mantle hit .361 this year at age 28, hitting 21 doubles and 34 homers with 111 RBIs and 23 stolen bases, giving him 8.3 total WAR. Pittsburgh’s Willie Mays was the unanimous MVP choice over in the National League, batting .344 with 29 doubles, 14 triples, 43 homers and 125 RBIs ... he also stole 16 bases and put up 11.0 WAR.

November 15, 1959: The day everyone’s been waiting for, we finally get to the business of drafting the league’s future stars! This year the Kansas City Athletics have the number one and number three picks, sandwiched around the San Francisco Giants who pick second. The Reds and the Cubs will then round out the top five, so they’re the teams with the best chances to draft a true stud right out of the gate. Kansas City took Rico Carty, age 20, first overall -- the left fielder was not a shocking pick, but he’s going to be a long term project if they can actually manage to sign him. San Francisco went with 17-year-old pitcher prospect Sam McDowell, who looks to have incredible stuff and a solid four pitch mix, and the Athletics then signed my favorite player in this draft, Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose, who is another head-scratcher ... he had a high demand and was likely to be a difficult signing. The pressure’s going to be on the A’s to actually follow through this year and sign these guys, or I suspect their fans will mutiny.

Here are our top picks in the draft this season:

ROUND 1, Pick 12: LF Tommy Harper
Harper, a 19-year-old right handed hitter from Oak Grove, Oregon, is a durable athlete who runs well and aggressively and who understands the strike zone. He makes good contact which should translate to a batting average in the upper .270s ... has a considerable ceiling, but is likely to take some time to develop in the minors before he’s ready to make our 25-man roster.

ROUND 2, Pick 28: SP Fred Newman
At 17, Newman’s an interesting prospect ... he could become a starter, if he can work up his control, but he’ll be a lock-down bullpen arm regardless with his excellent changeup and sinker. With incredible stamina, he’d easily be able to go multiple innings out of the pen game after game, and his extreme groundball tendencies would help him keep balls in the park as well. If his movement and control max out, he’ll be an excellent starter in the future, so we’re taking a flyer on him purely based on his development potential.

ROUND 3, Pick 44: SS Jerry Buchek
Another 17-year-old long-term prospect, Buchek has solid potential at 2B and 3B, and may max out defensively at either of those positions. He has raw above-average power, but poor discipline at the plate could hobble him if he doesn’t put in the effort to improve. I’m told by our scouts, however, that he hustles hard and should be worth the long term investment. A straight shooter and hard worker, his only real drawback is he’s often referred to as a little “slow,” but I’ll take baseball smarts over book smarts any day.

ROUND 3, Pick 49: RP Tom Dukes
We continue to look for solid bullpen pieces, and Dukes, even at 17, looks to be a future keeper. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dukes has potentially lethal stuff, including an excellent fastball, curveball and slider trio. He’s completely raw and inexperienced at this point, but if he can improve his control (and our scouts feel he’s got that ability) he’ll be an excellent addition to our team.

ROUND 4, Pick 66: C Charles Boone
Boone, a 21-year-old from Covington, Kentucky, has the potential to become a quality defender as a catcher and as a third baseman, with good blocking and framing skill and an excellent infield arm. But he strikes out a lot and is not looking like a long-term player as a batter. He may max out as a defensive backup, but has the potential to at least fight for a role with a major league team once he develops fully.

The draft was not particularly deep, and the players further down the list are fringey enough to not deserve detailed writeups until we can see how they actually handle playing in the minors.

November 16, 1959: Free agency has officially begun, and there are two clubs that are entering this offseason with GMs in the hot seat ... the Washington Senators have GM Loyd Cristopher only on contract through this coming season, and though San Francisco’s GM Bob Thurman is on a deal good through 1962, I’m hearing rumors that his 57-97 record last year has the team’s owner looking for a replacement. In a 16-team league entering a new decade of contractual instability, with players more free than ever to chase big money deals, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how those teams deal with the challenge.

We’re going after Jim Piersall in free agency, and he’s a player we definitely want to get ... 30 years old, a five-time Gold Glove center fielder, and last year he hit .306 for Washington, with 29 doubles, 10 triples and 17 homers, his 7.0 WAR coming thanks to a +13.9 zone rating and just TWO ERRORS all year! We want him, and we’re going to do what it takes to get him. We’re also talking with Ernie Banks, with the intention of converting him into a shortstop ... his incredible pop as a power hitter would make him more than valuable enough even with the defensive hit he’d take not playing first base. We’re also making an offer for outfielder Wally Post, who would be our primary left fielder, with Felipe Alou alternating starts at left and right field and pinch-hitting for depth as he continues to develop. Post put up 4.8 WAR last year for the Dodgers, batting .303 with 20 doubles and 42 homers, and he’d be a big power upgrade for us if we can get him.

I don’t expect to get all three players, but the city of Chicago deserves to have teams fighting to actually compete -- this isn’t a small market, and in this new age of free agency our owner has vowed to put his money where his mouth his. My job is to get the players.

November 24, 1959: We got huge news today from Wally Post that he’s agreed to come to Chicago! Post has agreed in principle to a five year deal worth $1,305,000 ... he’ll earn $232,000 this year, $248,000 next year, and then $275,000 each year covering 1962-64! He’ll also get a $25,000 bonus if he wins MVP, and $4,000 for every All Star appearance during the length of the contract.

December 4, 1959: It’s becoming clear that we’re involved in multiple bidding wars with the Yankees, and I’m fine with that. We’re gonna win the negotiations in the end if they want to be a part of baseball’s future here on the lake. You have to aim big to compete, and we’re putting in the effort ... here’s hoping we’ll have more news for fans by Christmas.

December 15, 1959: We’ve made a move to improve our bullpen through the rule five draft, taking Paul LaPalme from the Boston Red Sox. LaPalme, even at age 36, has great movement and control, with a changeup and knuckleball combo that allowed him to put up a 1-0 record with two saves and a 2.87 ERA last year in 25 appearances out of the Red Sox bullpen. He put up a 2-1 record with three saves and a 3.05 ERA for AAA Minneapolis, striking out 34 batters in 38.1 innings, with 1.3 WAR. He may be an average reliever, but I am hopeful he can become a high leverage middle innings guy for us, with the potential to handle setup for Wells and Kuykendall. He’ll earn $28,400 this year and is arbitration eligible after the season if he makes it all the way.

January 3, 1960: It’s official: Ernie Banks is coming back to Chicago, but this time on the South Side! He’ll be switching to shortstop, and has agreed to a massive $3.5 million deal that starts this year at $400,000, peaking with three seasons where he’ll earn $510,000 per year (1963-65) ... at this point in his career he’ll have a chance to opt out and try free agency again, or he can sign on for the years 1966-67 at $340,000 each. He has a no trade clause and will get our standard $25,000 for MVP and $4,000 for any All Star appearances. It is by far the biggest contract baseball has yet seen, but when you have three Gold Gloves and an MVP, you deserve to get paid. Fans are ecstatic, because they all can tell what kind of murder’s row we’re setting up to build up our pitchers. This is going to be a good year for baseball in the windy city!

So far this offseason we’ve led all teams in acquired WAR, at 10.2, with Pittsburgh (4.0 WAR) and Cincinnati (1.0 WAR) lagging behind. And bigger than that, we’ve opened our pocket books and given the Yankees a beatdown, which I’m told has owner Brian Mayfield sounding off angrilly in the press. I’m all for it ... bring ‘em on!

January 4, 1960: It’s official, we’ve managed to sign the trifecta! Jim Piersall signed a nine year deal worth $2.7 million, starting at $244,000 this year and rising to $360,000 in 1964, after which he has an option to go for free agency or stay for the final four years at $304,000 each. He has a no-trade clause and the requisite $25,000 bonus for an MVP and $4,000 for an All Star appearance.

Because of the acquisitions of Piersall and Post, we have agreed to a deal with the Cleveland Guardians to send them Norm Siebern and Felipe Alou, in exchange for 23-year-old reliever Freddie Burdette, a four star player who has a 98 mile fastball he combos with a sinker, both of which have great movement and he can control them with finesse. An undrafted prospect, Burdette has the kind of stuff you rarely see in a bullpen guy, and he was 5-4 last year with Cleveland, saving 11 games with a 3.71 ERA through 70.1 innings over 44 appearances. He’s got the potential to join Wells as our 8th inning stopper and backup closer, and dramatically improves our bullpen in one swoop.

We’ll finish the offseason with 12.1 WAR gained through our free agent and trade acquisitions, and if we can’t make a push for the playoffs with this team then I deserve to lose my job, because this is a dream lineup. Of course we’re going to have a total player payroll of $2.7 million this year because of it, but our owner had already authorized up to $3 million, and we’re heading toward spring with nearly $300,000 still available in straight-up cash.

January 15, 1960: Nobody made the cut for the Hall of Fame this year, and it wasn’t even close. We should have some big names becoming eligible soon, however, so expect more players to get in as the decade progresses.

February 9, 1960: Our owner is ecstatic about our progress, and we’re on track right now to see our season ticket sales jump nearly 20%, though I’m still hopeful to find ways to attract the casual fans back to Comiskey so we can exceed our goal of 27,000 fans per game this year.

March 12, 1960: We’re a week into spring training games, and Bill Fischer has strained his hamstring, so he’s going to miss two to three months of the season. We’ve moved him onto the 60-day IL and will proceed accordingly.

March 15, 1960: I’m glad we put in the search for bullpen help, because we’ve now lost Bob Rush due to shoulder inflamation; he’ll be out for four to five months and will be lucky if he can return in time for an August playoff push.

April 1, 1960: Jim Donohue has added himself a passable slider over the course of the offseason, and has been working on his endrance, whilch has allowed his overall ratings to go up to three stars with even higher potential! So far in spring training games he’s thrown 8.2 innings of work with a 1.04 ERA and two saves, striking out nearly one player per inning, so he’s likely earned his spot as a full-time member of our bullpen for the coming season.

April 9, 1960: We have finished our series of spring training games, and we finished tied with the Washington Senators at 19-11, with the New York Yankees a game behind at 18-12. Pittsburgh dominated the NL, finishing 21-9, four games ahead of the San Francisco Giants (17-13) and five up on both the Cubs and the Reds, who were 16-14. We all know the games themselves don’t matter, but we’ve seen a lot that makes us excited for this upcoming season, including four players who had three homers each (Minoso, Morgan, Post and Stephens) and five who had 10 or more RBIs (Minoso, Post, Spencer, Bailey and Stephens). All our pitchers were solid, but Kralick stood out with a 4-0 record and a 1.00 ERA through 27 innings ... he may have pitched himself into the top spot in our rotation. We’ll announce our opening day roster in a few days ... we open our season with a home game against Kansas City on the 19th, followed by a day off and another game against the A’s on the 21st. We’ll then finish April with three on the road against Detroit, two in Kansas City, and then one at home against Cleveland and four against Detroit, with our first doubleheader of the year in Kansas City on May 1st.

We’ve also been notified that this will be the last year with a 154-game MLB season ... next season the current Washington Senators will be moving to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, where they’ll become known as the Twins. In their place, a new “Washington Senators” team will be setting up as an expansion team, ensuring that the fans in our nation’s capital will be guaranteed crappy baseball for years to come -- while the team they love, that has shown sudden improvement early this spring, will be leaving them in the lurch. On the west coast, Los Angeles will get a second team, which will be known as the Angels. The AL will have 10 teams and the NL eight, until 1962, when the league will add teams in Houston (the Colt ‘45s) and New York (the Mets). Beginning in 1961 we will play a 162 game season.

In other news, it is looking like Bobby Kuykendall may not make the opening day roster ... he has struggled to keep up this spring, and Jim Donohue has improved significantly, so he is likely to take over as a multi-inning closer.

April 12, 1960: Though we don’t have a game for a week, we’ve gone ahead and finalized our opening day rosters ahead of the first games of the year around the league:

Lineup
C - Ed Bailey
1B - Minnie Minoso
2B - Bobby Morgan
3B - Daryl Spencer
SS - Ernie Banks
LF - Wally Post
CF - Jim Piersall
RF - Willie Davis

Bench: Jerry Zimmerman, Don Bacon, Luis Aparicio, Gene Stephens, Mike Hershberger

Starters
1 - Jack Kralick
2 - Jim O’Toole
3 - Chuck Stobbs
4 - Stan Williams
5 - Billy Pierce

CL - Jim Donohue
ST - Freddie Burdette
SE - Ron Wells
MR - Ed Roebuck, Garland Shifflett, Paul LaPalme
LR - Bennie Daniels

The BNN listing of the top 100 prospects in baseball has been updated, and Kansas City’s Rico Carty (#2) and Pete Rose (#5) are way up there. Tommy Harper comes in for us at #17, and he’ll spend the year with our AAA affiliate in San Diego. Here is the full listing of our top 250 prospects and where they stand right now:

#17 - LF Tommy Harper (AAA San Diego)
#48 - RHP Fred Newman (AA Lincoln)
#49 - C Jim Pagliaroni (AAA San Diego)
#75 - 2B Pedro Gonzalez (AAA San Diego)
#93 - RHP Tom Dukes (DE Pensacola)
#111 - Gerry Arrigo (AAA San Diego)
#129 - 3B Coco Laboy (A Charleston)
#156 - C Doug Camilli (AAA San Diego)
#169 - C Charles Boone (BC Idaho Falls)
#177 - RHP Bob Heffner (AAA San Diego)
#180 - RHP Garland Shifflett (MLB)
#197 - LF Bob Farley (AAA San Diego)
#213 - LHP Paul Knechtges (A Charleston)
#221 - SS Robert Roman (AAA San Diego

Right now our farm is nicely stocked with mid-level prospects, but as for uppler level guys we’re still ranked second from last, just ahead of the Pirates. Kansas City’s farm is now ranked second, behind only the Cubs, whose farm includes catcher Joe Torre (#4), center fielder Boog Powell (#21), Pitcher Jack Fisher (#22), reliever Diego Segui (#23) and catcher Ellie Hendricks (#26).

jksander · 11-29-2024, 06:52 PM

April 19, 1960: For the most part, last week’s action was in the National League ... Boston and Washington were the first AL teams to face off yesterday afternoon, and Boston whupped them 9-2 to get things going. We got 37,200 fans here in Chicago to come out to Comiskey to watch us play the Athletics, most of whose prospects remain in the minors -- so we come in with a juggernaut lineup while they’re clearly aimed at maintaining the status quo and stockpiling more picks. Our two aces, Jack Kralick and Milt Pappas, faced off for the first time, and the honor of batting in our first run of the season went to Minnie Minoso who, with bases loaded in the bottom of the second, hit an RBI single into left to give us the lead 1-0. Willie Davis reached first on a fielder’s choice that scored another, and we went into the third inning leading 2-0. Daryl Spencer hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead, and in the bottom of the eighth Piersall hit a solo homer and Bobby Morgan scored off a single by Minoso to make it a five-run lead. Kralick completed his first game of the year, a two-hit shutout with a walk and three strikeouts, and we won this one 5-0. We outhit the Athletics 11-2, led by leadoff man Minoso, who hit three times for two RBIs.

April 21, 1960: Jim O’Toole took on Glenn McMinn, a 27-year-old pitcher the Athletics drafted in the Rule 5 back in December who will be making his major league debut after a 17-9 season and 3.28 ERA last year for AAA Montreal, where he struck out 120 batters in 227.2 innings.And the A’s got off to a much stronger start in the beginning of this one, scoring two in the top of the first off a triple by Ron Fairly and then adding a run with a sac-fly by second baseman Jose Pagan. But Ernie Banks hit an RBI double to put us on the board in the bottom of the inning, and Ed Bailey added a run when Ed Bailey hit an RBI single, though Bailey got greedy and was taken out trying for second. The A’s got a homer off the bat of Pagan in the top of the fourth to give them a 4-2 lead, and they held that lead into the seventh inning stretch. But we showed signs of life in the bottom of the seventh, when Piersall and Sievers both walked, but Piersall tried to steal third and was out by a mile. Morgan made it to third off a fly-out to center by Spencer, and Mike Hershberger came out to pinch-hit for O’Toole, walking to bring up Minoso. Morgan scored off a wild pitch and Minoso took first base on balls, but we weren’t able to get the tying run across. Ron Wells took over on the mound in the top of the eighth, getting us through the inning around a pair of hits by Billy Klaus and Walt Bond, and with two outs on us in the bottom of the eighth Wally Post hit a solo shot out of left to tie the game up! Freddy Burdette took over with two outs and men on first and second in the top of the ninth, and he got Frank House to bat himself out to center and we were into the bottom of the ninth with a chance to seal it. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Luis Aparicio came in to pinch hit, and he was walked to put the go-ahead run on first. Minoso singled up the gap and drove him over to third, following behind him to give us two in scoring position! That’s when Willie Davis walked it off with a shallow bloop into center, and we won this one 5-4!

Freddie Burdette only had to make one out, but it was enough to get him a win, though O’Toole set him up well with four hits, a walk, four runs and four strikeouts in his seven innings. Wells pitched 1.2 innings with five hits and no runs scored, and we won despite being outhit 9-6 by the A’s. The difference was walks ... they walked nine of our batters, while O’Toole’s single walk was the only free bag we offered. Minoso led the way with two hits, two walks and a run scored, while Banks and Post each had a hit, a walk and an RBI.

We’ll hit the road tomorrow for three games against the 2-0 Detroit Tigers, which will be followed by a pair in Kansas City. Detroit opened their season with two games on the road, beating the Guardians 4-1 and 6-3, so I don’t expect them to be wins we’ll take easily.

April 22, 1960: Chuck Stobbs got his first start of the year, facing Detroit’s Don Choate, who was 4-3 in his rookie season last year with a 4.20 ERA and 24 K’s through 55.2 innings, starting five times with seven bullpen appearances. Minoso scored to put us in the lead 1-0 in the top of the first thanks to a Banks RBI single, but Detroit was quick to answer with a pair off a Virdon RBI single and a sac-fly by Andy Carey in the bottom of the inning. Ernie Banks hit his first homer of the season in the top of the third, driving in two and putting us into the lead again, and we brought Ed Roebuck out to pitch in the bottom of the sixth still leading 3-2. Banks hit a solo shot out of left in the top of the eighth for his second homer of the night, and Ron Wells came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning, getting three quick outs to strand a runner on third. Jim Donohue came out in the bottom of the ninth, still leading by a pair, getting one out quickly before Tom Haller hit a 420-footer out of center to cut our lead to one. With two outs, he blew it with a double by Russ Snyder ... Don Mincher scored a run to tie it, and Don Blasingame slid safely into home as the Tigers won this one 5-4. Stobbs gave us five innings with six hits, two walks, two runs and two strikeouts, and Roebuck and Wells each got holds, combining for three innings with a single hit. But Donahue blew the save and took the loss, getting two outs while allowing two hits, two walks and three earned runs. They outhit us 9-8, our team led by Ernie Banks who hit three times for two runs and four RBIs.

April 23, 1960: Stan Williams made his season debut to face Detroit’s Bill Wight, as we hoped to hand the Tigers their first loss after a tough one yesterday. And it was a cold one up here in the Motor City, with mid-day temps in the low 40s with winds gusting past 12 miles per hour. This turned into a rare pitchers duel that still featured a lot of hits ... we came up to hit in the seventh still knotted up and scoreless, but we’d outhit them 7-4. Ernie Banks subbed in to replace Aparicio at the plate and at shortstop, getting a leadoff single into right to take first safely, but it didn’t spark a rally ... we went down three in a row and spoiled a really good opportunity. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, and he kept us tied up through two solid innings ... in the top of the ninth, with two outs, Banks got himself another base hit, and Hershberger pinch hit for Daryl Spencer, striking out swinging to end any chance of a rally. Don Bacon took over on the hot corner, and Garland Shifflett came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning with one out and Bill Virdon on second. Andy Carey grounded out to first but drove Virdon over to third base, and then Johnny Callison hit one straight to Banks, who made the catch but couldn’t get the throw to home plate in time ... Detroit walked it off and won 1-0 in a brutal battle to stay undefeated. Burdette took the loss, falling to 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA, allowing a hit and a run while striking out two in two innings. Williams set him up well, with six innings and just four hits, walking one and striking out five, and though Shifflett did give up the only run of the game, it was unearned. We outhit them 10-6 but couldn’t get it done, with Willie Davis leading the pack with three hits, as Minoso and Banks each hit twice. Piersall and Post have started out on slumps, and it stands to reason that once this lineup heats up it’s going to be tough to stop ... we’re just not heating up.

April 24, 1960: We have one last shot at Detroit in this series, and Billy Pierce took the mound for his first game of the year, facing Bob Shaw (1-0, 1.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 6 K’s, 0.78 WHIP). Ed Bailey hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth to put us up 1-0, and Willie Davis hit an RBI single to extaned the lead in the top of the fifth, though Detroit got on the board in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single by Bill Virdon. In the bottom of the eighth, Granny Hamner hit a two-run blast out of right to put them on top by a run, and for the third day in a row we lost to Detroit by a single goddamned run, 3-2. They’re either brutally good or exceptionally lucky, but thanks to this series we’re now 2-3 while they remain undefeated. Pierce fell to 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA, allowing eight hits, two walks and three earned runs with five strikeouts in his complete game, and we lost despite outhitting them 9-8 ... the top of our lineup continues to find ways to hit and score, with Minoso hitting twice and Davis putting up a hit and an RBI ... but the bottom of the lineup is a mess; Post is hitting .105, Piersall is hitting .188, Morgan is hitting .125 and Spencer is hitting .176; surely things have to heat up for us soon. Maybe two games in Kansas City will spark something.

April 25, 1960: Jack Kralick (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 3 K’s, 0.33 WHIP) got the start, facing Kansas City’s Dean Stone who is making his season debut after going 3-14 last year with a 5.77 ERA through 132.2 innings. Ed Bailey hit an RBI single in the top of the first to put us up 1-0, but we couldn’t find a way to add on any insurance runs, so the pressure was on Kralick, who still held the one run lead into the bottom of the eighth, having thrown 111 pitches. And his luck ran out in the bottom of the inning, with one out as the A’s scored two with a homer by Walt Bond ... this is an absolute nightmare, a hitter’s lineup that simply can’t score runs, keeping intense pressure on our pitching staff. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch from there, getting out of the inning without further damage, and Minoso led off with a walk in the top of the ninth as our top hitters were all up to hit. Willie Davis popped out harmlessly to center field and Ernie Banks hit into a fielder’s choice, and Ed Bailey flew out to short, ending this one as a 2-1 defeat ... we’re getting killed in close games, and we’re not putting up runs. Kralick’s scoreless streak ended after 16.1 innings, and though he lasted seven innings with six hits, two walks and two runs, striking out three, he still took the loss. He’ll start the year with a 1-1 record and a stellar 1.12 ERA. We actually outhit them 8-6 which is hard to believe, Banks hit three times and has a .440 average through our first six games, and Morgan had two hits and a walk, getting his average up above .200 ... but we’re struggling to see what’s up with Post in particular, he’s had 23 at-bats and hit twice, walking once, so even his OBP is a miserable .125.

April 26, 1960: It’s hard to believe, but after starting out so confidently with a pair of wins, we’ve now lost four in a row and are tied with the A’s with this feeling like a game we truly NEEDED to win, since we’re already 1-4 in one-run games. Jim O’Toole (0-0, 5.14 ERA, 7.0 IP, 4 K’s, 0.71 WHIP) started against Glenn McMinn (0-0, 4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP, 1 K, 1.20 WHIP). Minoso scored a run off a double by Post in the top of the first, Post hitting third in the lineup ahead of Banks to see if that could draw better hitting opportunities. Piersall then hit an RBI single to score Post, and we went into the bottom of the first leading 2-0. We were cruising along until the bottom of the third, when O’Toole gave up five runs including a three-run homer to the damned pitcher, blowing a 3-1 lead and sending us into the top of the fourth trailing by three. He gave up two more in the fourth and I was done ... trailing 8-4 in the bottom of the fifth we brought out long reliever Bennie Daniels, and this one just became an ugly f---ing mess. By the time Paul LaPlaine came out to pitch in the bottom of the eighth we trailed by seven runs, and that’s how it stayed ... the A’s beat us 11-4 and the Chicago press club is heating up with distain for our “revitalized” roster. O’Toole is now ice cold, lasting just four innings and allowing 11 hits, a walk and eight runs, three of which were earned. Worse, though, we were outslugged 17-10, led by Banks with three hits and a run, and by Piersall with two hits and two RBIs.

The loss dropped us to 2-5, winless on the road, and we’re only a game out of last place. We’ve got an off day tomorrow and then play Cleveland (2-4) for one game at home, followed by four more agianst the still undefeated Tigers, who are 6-0 at the moment.

jksander · 11-29-2024, 06:57 PM

April 28, 1960: Detroit took their first loss of the year yesterday, losing to the Athletics (!!!) 8-7 in 11 innings. Tonight we returned to Chicago to play Cleveland in front of 22,800 fans on another 44-degree night with high winds blowing out to left ... and one of us slumping teams had to be able to get something going. Chuck Stobbs (0-0, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 K’s, 1.60 WHIP) started against Robin Roberts (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 5 K’s, 0.33 WHIP), and this one started out pretty much as usual, with Cleveland picking up runs in the second and fourth, holding that lead until the bottom of the sixth when we got a solo homer off Bailey to cut their lead to one run. In the bottom of the seventh, Stobbs hit an RBI single to tie it up and Minnie Minoso hit a two-run RBI single to push us into the lead, but Willie Davis was injured stealing second (safely) with two outs, so we had to bring in Gene Stephens to pinch run and take over in right field, heading into the top of the eighth leading 4-2. Ron Wells took over for Stobbs on the mound and with two outs they got a run back thanks to a solo homer by Norm Cash. But this time our offense came to our aid ... with one out in the bottom of the eighth Daryl Spencer hit an RBI double that scored two runs, and Ron Wells hit a two-run homer to extend the lead to five runs. Wells stayed out and finished the job and we won 8-3, snapping the losing streak and hopefully sending ourselves back into the right direction. Stobbs improved to 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, allowing six hits, two walks and two runs with six strikeouts through seven innings, and Wells got the two inning save, with a hit, a walk, a strikeout and a run. We outhit them 10-7, led by Spencer with two hits, two runs and two RBIs.

Now we get the real challenge, four weekend games against the now 6-2 Detroit Tigers, including a Sunday doubleheader which will be our first of the season.

April 29, 1960: Stan Williams (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 5 K’s, 0.83 WHIP) started against Detroit’s Bob Shaw (2-0, 1.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 6 K’s, 1.06 WHIP). Detroit outscored us 3-1 in the second inning, but in the bottom of the fifth we got an RBI double by Minoso, and tied it up with an RBI single by Davis, taking the lead with an RBI single by Banks ... strining hits together, that’s the way to get it done! They tied it back up in the top of the sixth with an RBI double by Callison, and when Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in the top of the eighth we were still knotted up at 4-4. Shifflett took over in the top of the ninth, getting us through without damage, and we walked it off in the bottom of the inning with a double by Minnie Minoso, getting us the 5-4 win. Shifflett took the win in his second relief appearance and remained unblemished, and we outhit the Tigers 11-8, led by Minoso with two hits, a walk and two RBIs.

April 30, 1960: Billy Pierce (0-1, 3.38 ERA, 8.0 IP, 5 K’s, 1.25 WHIP) pitched against Detroit’s Paul Foytack, who is making his season debut. We took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Wally Post, and Willie Davis hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to two runs. Ron Wells took over in the top of the eighth, and Burdette took over in the ninth, shutting them down as we won 2-0! Pierce took the win, improving to 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA, allowing just four hits, three walks and four strikeouts in seven innings. Wells got his second hold, and Burdette earned his first save, improving his ERA to 1.59 through 5.1 innings, striking out one batter tonight with two hits. Each team had six hits tonight, ours led by Davis, who had two hits, a run and an RBI.

We’ll finish the month out with a 5-5 record, and though we’ll start the month of May out from sixth place in the AL, the top six teams are separated by just a single win. We’ll play Detroit again for two games tomorrow, and we’re hoping to keep our win streak going (it currently stands at three games, the best current streak going in the AL.

May 1, 1960: It’s our first doubleheader day of the new season, and we’re back at .500, so it’s a fresh start as we try to gain more ground against the 6-4 Tigers. Jack Kralick (1-1, 1.12 ERA, 16.0 IP, 6 K’s, 0.69 WHIP) pitched against Tom Brewer (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 16.0 IP, 6 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) in game one, and we got going quickly, scoring two runs on back to back RBI doubles by Banks and Bailey, with an RBI single by Piersall putting us up 3-0 heading into the top of the second. Banks hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third, his third of the season, and that was all we needed; Kralick pitched a complete game and we won this one 4-0. Kralick allowed just four hits in the shutout, striking out six with no walks, throwing just 84 pitches to get it all done, while we outhit them 9-4. Banks led the way with three hits, two runs and two RBIs, proving to be the player on the team who has best adjusted to his transition, though Post and Piersall are starting to heat up.

The second game featured Jim O’Toole (0-1, 5.73 ERA, 11.0 IP, 5 K’s, 1.55 WHIP) pitching against Howie Reed (0-1, 6.75 ERA, 1.1 IP, 1 K, 5.25 WHIP), a matchup that, on paper, seemed perfect for helping him get back into a groove. We took the lead in the bottom of the first off a Jim Piersall walk, but they tied us up in the top of the second with an RBI single by Bob Tillman, taking the lead in the top of the third with a two-run homer by Johnny Callison -- so O’Toole’s rough patch continued. Thankfully our bats picked up the pace in the bottom of the fourth, our guys scoring off a groundout by Jerry Zimmerman, a single by O’Toole, a fielder’s choice hit by Minnie Minoso and an RBI single by Davis to put us up 5-3 heading into the fifth inning. Ed Roebuck took over for O’Toole in the top of the sixth still leading 5-4, He got us safely into the stretch, and we got a run back in the bottom of the seventh off Banks’ fourth homer of the season (and second of the afternoon), but they got that run back in the top of the eighth and we brought out Ron Wells with Lee Walls on first and one out. He gave up three more runs and we went into the bottom of the inning trailing by a pair. Paul LaPalme came out in the top of the ninth, gave up three more runs, and we were out of this one, losing in the end 11-7 ... a really rough night for our bullpen arms. Wells blew the save, his first, and took the loss, falling to 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA after giving up two hits, two runs (one earned) and walking a batter. But Detroit outhit us 14-8, and only five of those hits were due to the bullpen, so it’s hard to say who gets the blame exept hey, we can play again tomorrow. Minnie Minoso led the way with two hits, two runs and an RBI.

In a long season like this, thank God for there being triple digits worth of games left. But we’re now 6-6 and heading into a brutal road stretch, with no home games until the 17th. Our upcoming series include three games at Baltimore (7-6), three at Washington (4-9) and a single game in New York (7-4), followed by a day off and then three at Boston (7-6) and four at Cleveland (4-7). We’ve yet to win a road game, and if that continues we’ll start to see some separation in this league which currently features six teams within a game and a half of each other.

May 2, 1960: Stobbs was up in the rotation, but with seven games this week, I don’t feel ready to pitch anyone on short rest, so I’ve gone with Bernie Daniels (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 0 K’s, 2.00 WHIP) in a bullpen start, facing Baltimore’s Don Mossi (1-0, 1.12 ERA, 8.0 IP, 2 K’s, 1.00 WHIP). Minnie Minoso scored a run in the top of the first when Ed Bailey reached on error, but Orioles slugger Frank Thomas hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first and Mossi hit an RBI single in the bottom of the third to put them up 2-1. We tied it in the top of the fourth with a solo bomb by Bernie Daniels, and in the top of the fifth Bobby Morgan hit a three-run slam to put us ahead 5-2! We brought Ed Roebuck out in the bottom of the sixth with a three run lead to protect, and he failed miserably, giving up four runs as the Orioles practically laughed us off the field. Paul LaPalme had to come in with two outs to even get us out of there, and he gave up two just trying. He stayed out in the seventh and in the eighth we went to Shifflett, who gave up another pair to put this one way out of reach, Baltimore winning cleanly 10-5. This one was definitely NOT on Daniels, who pitched five excellent innings with just five hits, a strikeout and two earned runs. But Roebuck (blown save plus loss) got just two outs with five hits, a walk and SIX earned runs, and at least through three bullpen appearances this year he’s looking like a shell of himself. If things don’t improve, there’s going to have to be an overhaul of our bullpen for sure, or our starters are going to have to start all pitching complete games. Baltimore slaughtered us on hits, outhitting us 16-8, with Daniels (two hits, a run and an RBI) and Morgan (his three-run slam) as our two strongest offensive players.

May 3, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 12.0 IP, 8 K’s, 1.33 WHIP) started against Glen Hobbie (0-1, 10.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 2 K’s, 1.09 WHIP). Wally Post hit a two run homer to put us up in the top of the first, his second homer of the year, and we picked up another pair in the top of the fourth when Piersall hit an RBI single and then scored off an RBI single by Morgan to give us a 4-1 lead. Stobbs didn’t mess around from there, taking firm control and pitching a complete game as we held tough to win 4-1. He allowed just thre hits, a walk and the one run, striking out three as he improved to 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA. We outhit Baltimore 7-3, led by Post who hit twice with two runs and two RBIs, finally getting his average up to .208 for the season.

May 4, 1960: Stan Williams (0-0, 2.77 ERA, 13.0 IP, 10 K’s, 0.85 WHIP) started tonight against Dave Wickersham (1-1, 5.87 ERA, 23.0 IP, 7 K’s, 1.35 WHIP) as we try for back to back wins on the road, having finally broken through and scored our first road win. Jerry Zimmerman had to get pulled in the bottom of the second inning due to hamstring issues, and we may have to call Jim Pagliaroni up as a backup tomorrow, but Bailey came in to replace him and we had a 2-0 lead already thanks to Zimmerman’s two-run double in the top of the second. Unfortunately they tied it up in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer by Frank Thomas, but Daryl Spencer answered with a two-run blast of his own in the top of the fourth, so we were staying in this one! We added an RBI single by Piersall in the top of the seventh, and Freddie Burdette came in with two outs and a man on first in the bottom of the seventh, getting the out we needed to maintain that lead. Jim Donohue came out with an out and men on first and second in the bottom of the ninth, still leading by a pair ... he struck out pinch hitter Rod Kanehl, and got us out of there when Jerry Lumpe hit one to Banks at short, whose spectacular throw to first saved the win for us 5-3.

This was a big confidence booster for our bullpen ... we’ve had conversations with Kansas City about potentially acquiring another “ace” bullpen arm via Bob Miller, but I don’t want to give up what they’re asking if it’s just a matter of giving the current group of guys more time to gel. Stan Williams finally got his first win, improving to 1-0 with a 2.75 ERA through three starts ... he allowed five hits, a walk and two runs with five strikeouts through 6.2 innings, and Burdette held it through 1.2 innings with two hits and a run. Donohue still has not developed great control of his stellar pitches, but he got through a tough spot tonight with just 11 pitches thrown, and they didn’t get a run off him. So that’s real progress. We outhit the Orioles 12-7, led by Piersall (two hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI) and by Spencer (two hits, a walk, two runs and two RBIs).

Zimmerman is now dealing with both a hyperextended knee and the hamstring issue that’s been nagging him. We’ve put him on the IL for 15 days, and have called up Pagliaroni from AAA.

May 5, 1960: Billy Pierce (1-1, 1.80 ERA, 15.0 IP, 9 K’s, 1.13 WHIP) pitched in game one against the Senators’ Whitey Ford (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 6.2 IP, 5 K’s, 1.35 WHIP) -- Ford became a free agent in November and signed a minor league contract with a major league option with the Senators a month later. We took the lead in the top of the third with an RBI double by Willie Davis, but Willie McCovey hit a homer in the bottom of the fourth to tie it back up. Wally Post hit a homer in the top of the sixth to drive in another pair via his third homer of the season, and yet again the Senators answered with back to back RBI singles to tie it up again in the bottom of the inning. Minnie Minoso hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth to put us up a run, and with two outs in the bottom of the ninth they tied it up with an RBI single by Nate Smith, though Pierce did get us out of the inning and into extras. Ron Wells took over in the bottom of the 10th, and they walked it off with a one-out RBI single by Tommy Davis as we lost this one 5-4. Wells took the loss, falling to 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA, allowing two hits and two walks with the one run. That blew it for Pierce, who had done everything in his power to win ... nine innings with eight hits, two walks, four runs (two earned) and four strikeouts to keep his ERA at 1.88. We outhit them 11-10, led by Willie Davis with three hits, a walk and an RBI.

May 6, 1960: Jack Kralick (2-1, 0.72 ERA, 25.0 IP, 12 K’s, 0.60 WHIP) started against Bob Veale (0-1, 10.29 ERA, 14.0 IP, 14 K’s, 2.36 WHIP). Willie Davis hit a two-run homer to put us up in the top of the first, his first homer of the season, and officially all eight non-pitchers in our lineup now have hit at least one dinger this season. But Kralick was livid when two errors led to two runs in the bottom of the inning, tying the score ... both were unearned, but when you care about your job as much as he does, it’s hard to let stuff like that slide. In the bottom of the third they got another run, this one earned via an RBI single by Tommy Davis, but we finally answered in the top of the fifth with an RBI double by Morgan to tie the game, taking the lead moments later with a groundout by Banks that let Piersall score from third. But this game looked a lot like yesterday’s, with yo-yo scoring all around ... Gene Freese tied it up with a double in the bottom of the fifth, and they took the lead back with another RBI single by Tommy Davis, and in the bottom of the seventh we had to bring out Ron Wells, still trailing by a run. He blew another chance with four runs in two innings, and we lost this one 9-4 when it had been so close for so long. Kralick got the loss, falling to 2-2 with a 1.45 ERA< allowing eight hits, two walks and five runs (three earned) while striking out three through six innings. Wells, meanwhile, allowed six hits with two walks, four runs and three strikeouts in two innings, and he now has a 7.71 ERA through 9.1 innings. He still has great stuff and middling control, and it’s getting to a point where I may have to find another option -- he pitched 95 innings last year and averaged five runs given up per game, so it’s not a problem that has appeared completely out of nowhere. It certainly didn’t help that they outhit us 14-10, but Piersall hit four times which was a great bright spot -- he just couldn’t get anywhere.

- - - - -

We’ve officially made a pair of trades this evening to shore up the bullpen. First, we’re sending the Phillies right fielder Mike Hershberger (#33 BNN) and middle infielder Robert Roman, a 22-year-old currently at AAA, in exchange for 26-year-old Raul Puig, a four star reliever with a great slider and a fastball with good life. More importantly, he has above average movement and control, so he can get the ball where he means to and keep it in the park for us. We then made a deal with our crosstown rivals, offering the Cubs 21-year-old reliever (and #78 BNN prospect) Jim Donohue, who has great stuff but almost no control or movement on his pitches, for Dick Drott, a 23-year-old with great stuff and movement plus a stronger three-pitch arsenal ... they’ve been using him as a starter, and we plan to convert him to a reliever role, where he’d still get solid innings as a multi-inning flamethrower. They sweetened the deal with $25,000 in cash, so our owner said go for it.

These two trades have dramatically reshaped our bullpen for the remainder of this road trip. We’re waiving / DFAing Ed Roebuck, with the plan to move him to AAA once he’s not claimed. Meanwhile, Drott and Puig move into the pen as multi-inning middle relief options, as Wells, Daniels and Shifflett will be our long relief options when needed. Freddie Burdette, who so far has gone 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA and an 0.82 WHIP) will be our stopper / closer from the seventh inning on ... eventually Drott may move into a setup role as the season progresses, and Puig will be our high leverage guy.

Here’s hoping this does what I aimed for, because we moved some solid players to get these guys, and we now need to let everyone build rapport and sink their teeth into these new roles. We’ve also called up #17 prospect Tommy Harper as an extra outfield backup and pinch hitting option.

jksander · 11-29-2024, 07:03 PM

May 7, 1960: This is our last chance this series against Washington, and we’ve got Jim O’Toole (0-1, 6.19 ERA, 16.0 IP, 8 K’s, 1.69 WHIP) pitching against Bill Stafford (2-0, 4.09 ERA, 22.0 IP, 13 K’s, 1.27 WHIP). They scored first in the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer by Fred Valentine, their leadoff man. But Jim O’Toole drove in a run via Gene Stephens in the top of the second, and in the top of the third Bobby Morgan hit an RBI single to give us the lead, followed by a Stephens RBI single and a Spencer sac-fly that scored Tommy Harper -- the rookie scored his first run and batted in his first run in the same inning! Morgan hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth which was followed by an RBI double by Stephens to extend our lead to five runs, and we turned it into a blowout with four runs in the seventh ... that 10-1 lead heading into the stretch felt sweet as anything. It got ugly from there, and O’Toole took advantage, pitching a complete game six-hitter as we shut them down 13-1. O’Toole needed a game like this, walking two with five strikeouts and improving his record to 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA. And since we outhit them 20-6, we were able to let the new guys settle into the bullpen without having to pitch so soon after getting off their flights. Tommy Harper proved he was itching to get the call-up from AAA, leading the way with four hits, a walk, three runs and an RBI in his major league debut at age 19! And he wasn’t the only guy with a hot bat ... Gene Stephens hit four times as well, with a run and three more batted in.

May 8, 1960: Today was a one-off game in New York before an off day tomorrow, and Chuck Stobbs (2-0, 2.14 ERA, 21.0 IP, 11 K’s, 0.95 WHIP) pitched for us against Vinegar Bend Mizell (3-0, 4.43 ERA, 22.1 IP, 7 K’s, 1.48 WHIP). Al Kaline, who signed a two year deal with the Yanks in the offseason, gave them the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, but in the top of the third we took the lead from them with a three-run Jim Piersall homer, his second of the season. Raul Puig made his White Sox debut in the bottom of the seventh still leading by a 3-2 margin, but Mizell batted in the tying run with a single, so Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in a tied ballgame in the bottom of the eighth. This one went into extra innings, but they hammered us in the bottom of the 10th with a leadoff triple by Kaline and a walk-off single by Mantle as they won it 4-3. Stobbs had six innings with five hits, a walk, a strikeout and two earned runs, but we had the win in our sights ... Puig blew the save with three hits and a run, and Burdette took the loss, falling to 1-2 with a 2.89 ERA ... he allowed four hits, a walk, a strikeout and a run in his two innings of work. But our bats didn’t help after the third inning, and New York took advantage, outhitting us 12-7. Piersall had three hits, a run and three RBIs to lead our team.

Boston (10-9) is up next for three road games, and Cleveland (7-12) for four including a Sunday doubleheader. We’re currently 9-10 and in sixth place in the AL, but Boston is just one game up on us and in a two-way tie for second. Only the 12-4 Yankees have managed to stay consistently ahead of the pack so far this season.

May 10, 1960: Stan Williams (1-0, 2.75 ERA, 19.2 IP, 15 K’s, 0.86 WHIP) started in our first Boston game of the year at Fenway, facing Richard Simoni (0-0, 1 SV, 0.82 ERA, 11.0 IP, 9 K’s, 0.82 WHIP). We took a quick three run lead in the top of the first thanks to a two-run single by Wally Post and an RBI single by Bobby Morgan. Williams was flying high through five innings, but he floundered in the sixth, and Bob Allison took full advantage, hitting a three run homer to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Dick Drott came out to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, still tied up at three all, and in the top of the eighth Ed Bailey hit a solo homer to put us back on top. But Drott, who had been on a roll in the seventh, barely winded, gave up a two-run blast by Marty Keough and an RBI double to Bob Johnson, and just like that we were up to hit in the top of the ninth needing two just to prolong the game. They brought out closer Steve Hamilton, known for his knuckler, and they shut us down quickly to win this one 6-4. Drott took the loss in two innings of work, allowing five hits, two walks and three runs, but his first inning showed a lot of promise. Until the bullpen comes together we’re going to need a lot from our starters, that’s just the bottom line. It didn’t help that we were outhit 11-7 in a park that has enough quirks to keep any visiting team off kilter. Post led the way with two hits and two RBIs, while Bailey added a hit, a run and an RBI.

May 11, 1960: Jack Kralick (2-2, 1.45 ERA, 31.0 IP, 15 K’s, 0.81 WHIP) pitched against 37-year-old knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm (1-2, 7.43 ERA, 23.0 IP, 17 K’s, 1.74 WHIP) this afternoon, and we took the lead in the top of the third with a two-run homer by Willie Davis which was followed by a solo blast by Banks, his fifth of the year. We took full control from there, adding two in the fourth, three in the seventh and another in the eighth as we blasted the Red Sox 9-1. Kralick pitched another three-hit gem, striking out two batters without a walk and with just one unearned run ... the complete game improved his record to 3-2 with a 1.12 ERA. We outhit them 13-3, led by Daryl Spencer with four hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs, and by Banks who hit three times with a hit and three RBIs.

May 12, 1960: Billy Pierce (1-1, 1.88 ERA, 24.0 IP, 13 K’s, 1.12 WHIP) got the start against George Brunet (2-0, 2.87 ERA, 31.1 IP, 20 K’s, 1.21 WHIP) in our third game in Boston, and this turned into a real duel. We went into the bottom of the seventh without a hit, Boston with two, but both teams were locked up at 0-0 ... that’s when they blew up Pierce for four runs, Puig taking over with runners on second and third and just one out, thanks to a sac-fly by Ron Hansen, a hit off an E8 error by Gus Triandos, and a two-run double by Willie Jones. Puig got the second out but gave up a two-run double to Nellie Fox, and this one was becoming a rout out of nowhere. Puig stayed out in the eighth but it didn’t matter, we got shut down by the Red Sox 6-1, Brunet pitching a complete game one-hitter. Pierce was solid as hell all night until the seventh inning ... in 6.1 innings he allowed six hits, a walk and six runs (four earned) with three strikeouts, but four of those hits were in the final inning. Puig got through 1.2 innings with just the one hit, and his runs belonged to Pierce. We got outhit 7-3 which was the real issue ... nobody was able to crack this one open for us before the Boston blowout in the seventh. Piersall “led” us with a hit, a walk and a run scored.

May 13, 1960: Jim O’Toole (1-1, 4.32 ERA, 25.0 IP, 13 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) pitched against Cleveland’s Tom Cheney (1-3, 3.10 ERA ,29.0 IP, 21 K’s, 1.48 WHIP). In our first of a four game set. Our bats again couldn’t accomplish anything while the game was deadlocked, and in the bottom of the sixth a homer by Rocky Colavito put the Guardians up 1-0. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the seventh and we tied it up when Ernie Banks hit a solo shot in the eighth, a 409-footer that was his sixth of the year. Ron Wells came out in the bottom of the ninth still knotted up at 1-1, and our poor luck continued. With two outs and extra innings almost secured, Gordy Coleman hit an RBI double to walk it off for them 2-1. We outhit them 8-4, led by Banks’ homer, but couldn’t deliver in the clutch yet again. Wells took the loss, falling to 0-3 with an 8.10 ERA, allowing two walks and a run while striking out a batter. We’ve decided to send him back down to AAA and see if that helps him find his control, calling up right fielder Willie Kirkland as an extra option off the bench.

May 14, 1960: It’s still early in the season, but I keep wondering when we’ll find a spark that gets us into an actual groove rather than floundering around in close games. Chuck Stobbs (2-0, 2.33 ERA, 27.0 IP, 12 K’s, 0.96 WHIP) pitched today ahead of the doubleheader tomorrow, facing ave Wegnerek (0-1, 5.59 ERA, 19.1 IP, 6 K’s, 1.81 WHIP) who Cleveland had pitching on short rest. The offense came fast in this one, when Bobby Morgan put us up 1-0 in the top of the first with a groundball single. Wegnerek answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the second, so we put up four runs in the third, two of them off a Bailey homer, followed by back to back solo blasts from Post and Morgan ... but the homers continued in the bottom of the inning, with Roger Maris and Red Wilson hitting blasts for the Guardians to keep them within two heading into the fourth inning. Willie Davis kept the homer train rolling with a solo leadoff in the top of the sixth to extend our lead to three, and Dick Drott came out to pitch after the stretch with the score still 6-3. We’d go on to bat around in the top of the eighth, adding four runs, and Drott pitched the rest of the way as we steamrolled them 10-3. Stobbs improved to 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA, allowing eight hits, two walks and three runs in six innings, striking out two, and Drott completed a three-inning save, with three hits and a walk as he improved his ERA to 5.40 off 43 pitches. We matched them 11-11 on hits, led by Bobby Morgan’s three hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs, while Minoso added two hits, two walks and three runs.

May 15, 1960: We’re glad to have the win, because this doubleheader with us at 11-13 and the Guardians at 9-15 is a real chance to get our footing again ... we’re the two worst teams in the AL right now, but we’re also still just three games out of second place, so still a ton of room to maneuver with only the Yankees looking unsinkable. Stan Williams (1-0, 3.16 ERA, 25.2 IP, 21 K’s, 0.94 WHIP) pitched in game one against Ray Herbert, who is making his MLB debut after being called up on short rest from AAA where he’s gone 4-1 with a 3.96 ERA, 20 K’s in 36.1 innings, with a 1.51 WHIP. Cleveland scored three in the bottom of the first and then Williams kept them from doing anything else ... but in the bottom of the seventh we still trailed by three and had to go to Puig while we prayed for any energy from our offense. Puig wound up giving up three more in the eighth, however, and our team again looked completely lost, losing 6-0 in a game where our bats were outhit 14-3. This is just amazingly bad baseball from our team, and I’m at a loss to see how to fix it. Williams fell to 1-1 with a 3.41 ERA, allowing nine hits and three runs with a walk and two strikeouts, while Puig allowed five hits, a walk and three runs with a strikeout in his two innings. Nobody on offense is worth a second thought right now.

Jack Kralick (3-2, 1.12 ERA, 40.0 IP, 17 K’s, 0.70 WHIP) pitched on short rest against Cleveland’s Jim Wilson (1-0, 3.68 ERA, 29.1 IP, 13 K’s, 1.57 WHIP) in the day’s second game. Cleveland got solo homers from Norm Siebern and Norm Cash in the bottom of the first inning and then Kralick locked in like I’ve never seen, and got NO SUPPORT from our bats once again ... we lost 2-0 despite him pitching a complete game with seven hits ... Cleveland wound up with eight hits and the two that counted. So Kralick fell to 3-3 and a 1.31 ERA, walking two with four strikeouts and the two earned runs against him, again with no offensive players finding a way to make anything happen.

We’re now 26 games into a 154 game season and we’re 11-15 overall, DEAD LAST in the American League (well ... tied for dead last with three others, all of us trailing the Yankees by seven games). The one bright spot is now we get to head back home, though it’s a question whether any of our fans want to watch this clown show. We’ll play three against Boston (16-10), two against the Yankees (16-6), a Sunday doubleheader against Washington (13-14) and a pair against Baltimore (12-17) before heading to Kansas City (12-15) for four road games.

jksander · 11-30-2024, 05:58 PM

May 17, 1960: Billy Pierce (1-2, 2.67 ERA, 30.1 IP, 16 K’s, 1.12 WHIP) pitched against Boston’s George Brunet (3-0, 2.45 ERA, 40.1 IP, 23 K’s, 1.09 WHIP), who punished us severely the last time he faced us. And this game was the epitome of an antacid game ... Boston took the lead in the top of the second off an RBI single by Keough, so we answered with a solo homer by Banks in the bottom of the third. They retook the lead with a solo homer by Bob Allison in the top of the sixth, and in the top of the ninth they added on with another RBI single by Allison, taking their two-run lead into the bottom of the ninth as we faced their reliever Terry Fox. Willie Davis hit a stunning two-run double to tie it up, no outs, however, and just a moment later Minnie Minoso managed to walk us off with a double to stun the Red Sox 4-3! Too close for my comfort, but I’ll take it if it helps us gel as a team and start stringing some wins together! Pierce pitched a complete game 10-hitter, walking four and giving up three earned runs with four strikeouts ... he refused to hand the ball over, and threw 140 pitches in the process. We managed to outhit them 12-10 thanks to a single and three doubles in the bottom of the ninth. Daryl Spencer led the team with four hits and a run, while Banks put up two hits, a run and an RBI along with his seventh homer.

May 18, 1960: Jim O’Toole (1-1, 3.77 ERA, 31.0 IP, 16 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) got the start against Frank Baumann (3-3, 3.98 ERA, 43.0 IP, 18 K’s, 1.33 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by O’Toole, adding on when Minoso reached first on a dropped throw from the shortstop, giving us a 2-0 lead heading into the top of the third. Freddie Burdette came out in the top of the eighth to protect the two-run shutout lead, and when our bats couldn’t add on anything he stayed out and completed the rest as we held the Red Sox off 2-0. This is the kind of game that gives us fits, so I’m glad to see we survived, though I’m still stunned by our lack of hitting ... we were outhit 5-4 tonight, led only by O’Toole, with his RBI, and by Post with a hit and a run. O’Toole improved to 2-1 with a 3.08 ERA, allowing just three hits, three walks with three walks and three strikeouts in his seven innings, and Burdette got his second save, two innings with just two hits as his ERA improved to 2.02.

May 19, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (2-0, 2.73 ERA, 33.0 IP, 14 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) pitched against Bob Kuzawa (2-3, 4.30 ERA, 29.1 IP, 13 K’s, 1.57 WHIP) in our third game against Boston this series, and after a first inning with two runs apiece, we managed to keep the hitting going ... it all started with the two-run blast by Ed Bailey in the bottom of the first that tied it up, and then Ernie Banks hit a two-run homer to put us up 4-2 in the bottom of the third. Minoso hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth which was followed by a two-run double by Piersall, giving us an 8-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth. Banks hit a two-run double in the sixth to add on, but Stobbs gave up four runs in the top of the seventh and had to be replaced by Paul LaPalme with one out and a man on first ... he got us through the inning and the next, and with a five-run lead in the top of the ninth he stayed out to finish things off. With one out and men on first and second, Dick Drott took over, loading the bases with a walk by Frank Robinson. But he got the outs we needed, shutting them down without any of the runs scoring and we won our third in a row, this time 11-6! Stobbs gave us 6.1 innings with nine hits, two walks and six earned runs, blowing his ERA up to 3.66, but LaPalme pitched two innings with a hit a walk and a strikeout, and Drott came in to get the final two outs with just a walk, so Stobbs still kept the win. We outhit Boston 14-10, led by Ed Bailey with four hits, a walk, two runs and three RBIs, while Banks hit three times with three runs and three RBIs.

With three wins in a row against the Red Sox, we’ve pulled within two games of them and climbed to fourth in the AL, just a game behind Washington. Now we get to see if it was a fluke, as New York (17-7) is coming to town for a pair, followed by a pair against the 15-14 Senators on Sunday.

May 20, 1960: Jack Kralick (3-3, 1.31 ERA, 48.0 IP, 21 K’s, 0.79 WHIP) has been red hot and yet has struggled to get wins because of our lack of hitting in his games. Tonight he took on Billy O’Dell (5-1, 1.47 ERA, 49.0 IP, 26 K’s, 0.76 WHIP) in a matchup that certainly wasn’t going to be easy to win. It turned quickly into a knife fight from the mound, and we finally made some blood flow in the bottom of the sixth when Daryl Spencer hit a two-run homer to break the stalemate. Kralick stayed out and pitched the rest of the game, and though Al Kaline hit a solo blast for the Yankees in the top of the seventh, that was all they got ... we won this one 2-1, Kralick improving to 4-3 with a 1.26 ERA, thanks to a complete game five-hitter, striking out seven with no walks and one earned run. We outhit them 10-5, led by Spencer, whose two-run homer basically won it for us in the sixth.

May 21, 1960: Stan Williams (1-1, 3.41 ERA, 31.2 IP, 23 K’s, 1.07 WHIP) took on New York’s Harvey Haddix (2-1, 4.44 ERA, 26.1 IP, 17 K’s, 1.41 WHIP) in our second game in this short series, and we took the lead quickly in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Ed Bailey and a sac-fly by Wally Post. Willie Davis helped us add some insurance with an RBI single in the bottom of the second, and Banks hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third which was quickly followed by another Post sac-fly and a Bobby Morgan solo homer to turn this one into a surprising early rout! They picked up a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth, and with a 6-3 lead in hand we brought Raul Puig out to pitch in the top of the seventh. Burdette took over in the eighth, and Drott pitched for us in the ninth, holding the Yankees back as we held tough to the 6-3 win. Williams got the win, improving to 2-1 with a 3.58 ERA thanks to just eight hits, a walk and three earned runs in his six innings, while the bullpen held on with three innings and just a walk and a strikeout. Drott earned his second save and his ERA has improved to 4.05 for us. We narrowly outhit them 9-8, led by Banks with three hits, two runs and an RBI.

The win gets us over .500 for the first time since that Detroit series in the first week of April’s action. We’re 16-15 and in second place in a tightly contested American League, just 3.5 games now behind the Yankees, tied with Boston and our next opponent, the Washington Senators. The Chicago Cubs, at 21-12, are the talk of the National League right now, sitting in second place behind the 23-10 Milwaukee Braves. And with our team finally starting to heat up, it’s a really good year to be a fan of baseball in the windy city!

May 22, 1960: It’s time for another Sunday doubleheader, with Washington’s Senators in town for a pair. Billy Pierce (2-2, 2.75 ERA, 39.1 IP, 20 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) pitched in the first game of the afternoon, facing Bill Stafford (3-2, 3.92 ERA, 43.2 IP, 20 K’s, 1.51 WHIP). Wally Post hit an RBI single to drive in a run for us in the bottom of the first, and Pierce got us into the stretch with that 1-0 lead unchanged. Bobby Morgan added on a run in the bottom of the seventh to give us a little more breathing room, and Raul Puig came out to take over in the top of the eighth. Freddie Burdette took over in the ninth inning, and we held on to win this one 2-1 despite a Tommy Davis solo homer in the bottom of the inning that cut it closer than we’d have liked. The streak lives! Pierce improved to 3-2 with a 2.33 ERA, lasting seven innings with four hits, four walks and six strikeouts, while Puig got his second hold and Burdette his third save. They outhit us 7-5, but we held our ground -- Morgan and Minoso led with a hit, a walk and a run scored for each.

Jim O’Toole (2-1, 3.08 ERA, 38.0 IP, 19 K’s, 1.18 WHIP) started on short rest for game two, facing Gerald Neal (1-3, 10.12 ERA, 24.0 IP, 18 K’s, 1.96 WHIP). The game was tightly contested until the bottom of the fifth, when Wally Post hit an RBI single to put us on the board! Jim Piersall hit a two-run single that, coupled with an error, put two more runs across, and Wally Post scored off a wild pitch to add on, sending us into the top of the sixth leading 4-0! Wally Post hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, and Piersall scored on another wild pitch to make it an eight-run shutout rout-in-the-making, and Paul LaPalme took over for O’Toole with one out in the top of the seventh. Dick Drott came out in the top of the eighth leading 8-1, and he pitched the remainder of the game as we held tough to win 8-2 to remain on our hot streak. O’Toole improved to 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA, pitching 6.1 innings with four hits and two strikeouts, and we outhit Washington 11-8, led by Wally Post with two hits, two runs and four RBIs. Jim Piersall added three hits, a run and two RBIs, and we’ll head into our next series with an 18-15 record now that we’ve rattled off seven wins in a row!

We’ve got a pair against Baltimore (15-21) this week, followed by four against the Athletics (16-18) on the road ... we’ll then end the month back here in Chicago where we’ll play Cleveland (15-17) for three games including a Monday doubleheader. And with everything starting to come together, we’ve got a real chance to make a run at the Yankees if we can keep this winning streak alive -- we’re just two and a half games back of

May 24, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (4-0, 3.66 ERA, 39.1 IP, 17 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) pitched today against Baltimore’s Glen Hobbie (1-4, 5.35 ERA, 38.2 IP, 14 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) in our first of two games against the Orioles. This one became a total blowout in the SECOND INNING when we brought 14 batters to the plate and racked up a 9-0 lead on the hapless Orioles ... during the frame, ALL WITH TWO OUTS, Minoso hit an RBI single, Banks scored two with a single, Wally Post scored one with a single, Jim Piersall walked one in, and then Bobby Morgan cleared the bases with a grand slam! Beautiful, beautiful. Bennie Daniels came in with a 12-1 lead in the top of the seventh, and he pitched a three-inning save as we won 12-3. Stobbs improved to 5-0 with a 3.38 ERA, allowing just seven hits, two walks and a run with three strikeouts in his six innings, and Daniels had three innings with four hits, two runs and a strikeout in his bullpen appearance. They outhit us 11-9, but there was no way they’d outlive that miserable second inning. Bobby Morgan was the hero of the day with a hit, two walks, two runs and four RBIs after the slam, his fourth homer of the year.

May 25, 1960: Jack Kralick (4-3, 1.26 ERA, 57.0 IP, 28 K’s, 0.75 WHIP) has been red hot all year, and he faced off against Baltimore’s Gaylord Perry (4-2, 2.73 ERA, 56.0 IP, 37 K’s, 1.18 WHIP) in a real battle of top young pitchers. Minnie Minoso hit a solo homer to give us the lead in the bottom of the first, but they tied us in the top of the second with an RBI single by Wayne Causey and this one became a razor-sharp battle. We broke it open in the bottom of the seventh, when Willie Davis hit an RBI double to drive in a pair of runs, and Minoso batted in a run with a single to extend the lead, coming in to score a few minutes later off a single by Wally Post! Kralick, quickly cementing himself as our ace starter, finished his game and held tough to a 5-3 win, improving to 5-3 with a 1.50 ERA after an 11-hitter with six strikeouts and three earned runs. We outhit the Orioles 12-11, led by Minoso, who hit three times with two runs and two RBIs.

Our bullpen gets a shot in the arm with Bill Fischer’s return from his strained hamstring. Fischer, at 29, does not have the best stuff by any stretch, but he’s got killer movement and control ... we’re going to move Garland Shifflett back down to AAA to make room for him as a potential setup man, as last year he pitched 86 innings for us with a 2-1 record, four saves, 28 K’s and a 1.30 WHIP.

We’re now heading to Kansas City, where our 20-15 White Sox are suddenly within a game and a half of the Yankees in first ... the A’s are off to a 16-20 start and just six games out of the pennant chase, and we’ve already seen they don’t lay down in games. So our nine game winning streak won’t mean anything to them when we bring our bats out on their field. The only other streak that comes even close to ours is that of the LA Dodgers, who have won eight in a row over in the NL to get themselves back to .500 in that league.

May 26, 1960: Stan Williams (2-1, 3.58 ERA, 37.2 IP, 26 K’s, 1.14 WHIP) faced Ron Negray (1-2, 3.95 ERA, 43.1 IP, 26 K’s, 1.27 WHIP) in the first of four games in Kansas City, and we took the lead quickly in the top of the first with a solo homer by Bailey, adding on with an RBI double by Jim Piersall. From there we just kept adding on runs one at a time, and with a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the eighth we brought out Dick Drott to take over on the mound. He completed the shutout as we held firm to beat the Athletics in the end by the same 6-0 margin. Williams improved to 3-1 with a 3.02 ERA, allowing just one hit with six strikeouts through seven innings, and Drott improved his to 3.38 with two walks in his two innings of work. We outhit the A’s 13-1, led by Piersall with three hits, a walk and an RBI, while Aparicio put up two hits and a run as we extended our winning streak to 10 straight.

May 27, 1960: Billy Pierce (3-2, 2.33 ERA, 46.1 IP, 26 K’s, 1.21 WHIP) pitched against Rob Blaylock (3-2, 3.86 ERA, 39.2 IP, 17 K’s, 1.39 WHIP). And this one was never really in doubt, once we took the lead in the second inning with a two-run homer by Bobby Morgan. We added RBI singles by Minoso and Bailey in the top of the third, and from there it was just a matter of Pierce locking in and allowing nothing from the mound as he completed the game, winning 4-0. It was a one-hit shutout for the 33-year-old veteran, walking one and striking out five ... he had a perfect game until the bottom of the sixth, when Frank House got Kansas City’s only hit. We picked up eight hits ourselves, led by Bobby Morgan with two hits, a run and two RBIs.

This win extended our winning streak to 11 consecutive games, and we’ve flipped places with the Yankees, taking control of the American League pennant race by half a game! Boston, with a 21-16 record, is just a game out, and Cleveland, at 18-17, is still within three games in a really tight race early in this seaosn. But we’re finally playing the way I’d expected our lineup to show up, game after game, and as expected we’re a very tough team to beat when our starters aren’t driven out of games early.

May 28, 1960: Jim O’Toole (3-1, 2.64 ERA, 44.1 IP, 21 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) pitched against Milt Pappas (5-3, 3.05 ERA, 56.0 IP, 35 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) in the third of four against the Athletics, and we took the lead in the top of the third when Minnie Minoso reached first on an error, driving home Daryl Spencer. We added a pair in the second off a sac fly by Piersall and a single by O’Toole, and an RBI single by Morgan extended the lead to four. Pappas got blown out of the game in the top of the eighth when Minoso hit a two-run double, and with an 8-1 lead we brought out Freddie Burdette in the bottom of the eighth. He got us through the remainder as we crushed the Athletics 8-2. O’Toole improved to 4-1 with a 2.28 ERA, allowing just four hits and a walk with two strikeouts and a single unearned run. Burdette improved his ERA to 2.60, allowing two hits and an earned run with two strikeouts, and we outhit them 13-6, led by Wally Post with three hits and two runs scored.

May 29, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (5-0, 3.38 ERA, 45.1 IP, 20 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Glenn McMinn (2-4, 5.98 ERA, 46.2 IP, 22 K’s, 1.74 WHIP) in the final game of the series in Kansas City, and we took the lead 3-0 in the top of the fourth, with a two-run homer by Wally Post and and RBI single by Bobby Morgan. Raul Puig came out with an out and men on first and second leading 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, and for the first time in two weeks he blew the save for us as Billy Klaus hit a two-run double to tie the score. Still tied in the bottom of the ninth, we brought out Freddie Burdette who was able to get this game into extra innings. Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the 11th inning, and Paul LaPalme took over in the bottom of the 12th with one out and men on first and second. Cookie Rojas grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to keep this one going into the 13th. In the bottom of the 14th inning, Kansas City finally got something to happen for them, with Ray Sievers hitting into a fielder’s choice, Banks failing to make the throw out at home as the A’s walked it off 4-3. The streak officially ended at 12 games. LaPalme took the loss, falling to 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA, but he pitched two good innings with two hits, a walk, a strikeout and a run. Kansas City outhit us 14-12 in the marathon game, our team led by Wally Post with three hits, two RBIs and a run scored, while Willie Davis hit three times but got nowhere.

We’ve got two games against Cleveland (20-17) at home to end the month, and then travel to Detroit (16-20) for two to start the month of May. We’ll then play four at home against Kansas City (17-23) before hitting the road for four at New York (20-14) and three at Boston (22-17). We don’t have a day off until May 13th, and we’ve played six days in a row already, so this will be a really key stretch for us to prove we can stay on a winning path. We currently lead the AL by half a game over the Yankees, but we go into these two games against Cleveland with just a two-game lead on them. So it’s definitely the tightest race we’ve seen in the league in years.

jksander · 12-11-2024, 03:20 PM

May 30, 1960: Today we’ve got a doubleheader against Cleveland, with Jack Kralick (5-3, 1.50 ERA, 66.0 IP, 34 K’s, 0.82 WHIP) pitching against Ray Herbert (3-0, 1.48 ERA, 24.1 IP, 10 K’s, 0.66 WHIP) in the first game. It was a defensive battle from the start, with Cleveland taking a slim lead in the top of the sixth with an RBI single by Red Wilson ... but our bats couldn’t get anything through, and Dick Drott came out in the top of the eighth still trailing 1-0. He gave up two more runs in the top of the ninth to pretty much seal it, as our offense chose to take the morning off and Cleveland won the first game by a 3-0 margin. Kralick has had the worst luck of our starters when it comes to our team actually scoring runs ... he lasted seven innings today with just six hits, a walk and seven strikeouts, but the earned run he allowed was enough ... he falls to 5-4 with a 1.48 ERA, and could be forgiven for his overt frustration as he watched us lose. Cleveland outhit us 8-6, our team led by Ernie Banks with two hits to nowhere.

Stan Williams (3-1, 3.02 ERA, 44.2 IP, 32 K’s, 0.99 WHIP) pitched in game two, facing Dave Wegerek (0-2, 5.52 ERA, 31.0 IP, 12 K’s, 1.81 WHIP). We took a 4-1 lead after the first inning, tying the score with an error that put Minoso on base and scored Davis, then adding an RBI double by Wally Post, and a two-run single by Jim Pagliaroni. In the top of the seventh, with the lead 5-1, Bennie Daniels came out to take over, and though he gave up a pair of runs in the seventh, he got through the eighth unblemished. Raul Puig came out in the top of the ninth still leading by two runs, and he held onto the win as we beat Cleveland 5-3. Williams improved to 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA, lasting six innings with just two hits, three strikeouts and a run, but he was pitching on short rest so we didn’t risk keeping him in longer. We narrowly outhit them 5-4 in another duel, with Pagliaroni’s two RBIs leading the way.

May 31, 1960: Billy Pierce (4-2, 1.95 ERA, 55.1 IP, 31 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) started against Cleveland’s Robin Roberts (2-2, 4.42 ERA, 57.0 IP, 25 K”s, 1.16 WHIP) in the series’ rubber match, and with the score knotted up 2-2 in the top of the seventh Bill Fischer came out to try and keep us in this fight. Unfortunately he gave up two runs in the seventh, and with the score 4-3 in their favor heading into the eighth we brought out Dick Drott to keep it from getting out of hand. He pitched the rest of the way but our bats stayed silent and we lost in the end by the same 4-3 margin. Fischer took the loss, falling to 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA through his first two bullpen appearances, and we were outhit 9-8 ... Ed Bailey led the way for us with three hits, a run and two RBIs, while Willie Davis added two hits and an RBI.

The loss knocks us out of first place as the Red Sox (25-17) took a one-game lead on us. We’re now in second, half a game up on the Yankees and one game up on Cleveland. We’ll enter the month of June with a 24-18 record, having gone 19-13 through the month of May to get back into pennant contention. We’ll spend most of the first half of the month on the road ... two games in Detroit (18-21) to open the month, followed by a home series of four games against Kansas City (18-25) followed by four in New York (21-16) and three in Boston (25-17) before we get back to Chicago for an extended stretch.

June 1, 1960: Jim O’Toole (4-1, 2.23 ERA, 51.1 IP, 23 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) started against Detroit’s Herm Wehmeier (1-1, 13.50 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 K’s, 3.00 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the second with an RBI triple by Daryl Spencer and a passed ball, but they got runs in the third and fourth to tie it up at 2-2. So it was up to Jim Piersall to put us back into the lead with a two-run homer, with Paul LaPalme taking over with one out and a man on second in the bottom of the fifth, getting us through the inning without eroding the lead. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the eighth, still leading by a run, and we held our ground as we beat the Tigers in a tightly contested game, 4-3. LaPalme got the win, improving to 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA with a 2.2 inning appearance ... he allowed three hits, a strikeout and a run, while Burdette saved his fourth game with two innings and just a hit and a strikeout. The Tigers outhit us 10-7, but Piersall had two hits, a run and two RBIs in the leadoff spot, and Spencer added two hits, two runs and an RBI as well.

June 2, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (5-0, 3.48 ERA, 51.2 IP, 20 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Bill Wight (1-5, 4.50 ERA, 44.0 IP, 31 K’s, 1.61 WHIP) in our second game of the pair against the Tigers, and after Daryl Spencer hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to put us up 4-2, Bill Fischer took over for us on the mound in the bottom of the inning. Fischer got us throuugh two solid innings, and Raul Puig took over in the bottom of the eighth, and Dick Drott came out in the bottom of the ninth with one out and a man on first. He gave up a single but then got two quick outs to end this one as a 4-2 victory! Stobbs remains undefeated, currently 6-0 with a 3.49 ERA after a five inning game where he allowed nine hits with three strikeouts and two earned runs. Fischer and Puig got holds, and Drott saved his third game as the bullpen held the game for us. They outhit us 13-10, but Ernie Banks led the way with three hits, a run and two RBIs, and Spencer again had a solid afternoon with two hits, a run and two RBIs, improving his average to .263 through 38 games.

This stretch of games is definitely wearing our starters out ... we’ve got 11 games left in the next ten days before getting a day off, but so far we’ve weathered the storm well.

June 3, 1960: We’re back at home for four games against the last-place Athletics, with Jack Kralick (5-4, 1.48 ERA, 73.0 IP, 41 K’s, 0.84 WHIP) pitching against Ron Negray (1-3, 3.99 ERA, 56.1 IP, 32 K’s, 1.31 WHIP). With the score tied at 1-1, we brought out Freddie Burdette in the top of the seventh, and Paul LaPalme took over in the eighth, but we couldn’t get a run across and this one went into extra innings. Finally, in the bottom of the 10th inning, Willie Davis led off with a solo homer to wak it off, and we got out of here with a 2-1 win. LaPalme pitched three innings with one hit and one strikeout, earning the win as he improved to 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA, and though we only had seven hits in the game (tying the A’s), Davis was solid with two hits, a run and an RBI to lead the way including his walkoff homer.

June 4, 1960: Stan Williams (4-1, 2.84 ERA, 50.2 IP, 35 K’s, 0.91 WHIP) started against Dean Stone (1-4, 5.15 ERA, 36.2 IP, 14 K’s, 1.61 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Banks, and with the score tied up heading into the bottom of the fourth, we retook the lead with an RBI single by Morgan and an RBI double by Spencer to lead 3-1 heading into the fifth inning. They got a run back in the top of the sixth off a sac-fly by Alan Scott, and Raul Puig came out to pitch in the top of the seventh with the lead still 3-2. An RBI single by Banks and an RBI double by Bailey helped us add to the lead in the bottom of the seventh, and Burdette took over in the top of the eighth with a three-run lead to protect. He held tough the rest of the way and we won this one 5-2. Stan Williams pitched six innings with six hits, five strikeouts and two earned runs, improving to 5-1 with a 2.86 ERA. Puig held his fourth game and Burdette picked up his fifth save, the two combining for three innings with a hit and two strikeouts. We outhit Kansas City 11-7, led by Banks with two hits, a run and two RBIs.

June 5, 1960: We’ve signed Bob Porterfield, age 36, to a minor league contract and a nominal signing bonus, and he’ll step into our rotation as a sixth man for the remainder of this stretch with no days off. He was released back in early May by the LA Dodgers, where he’d put up 3.1 innings this year with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, striking out a batter per inning. And while he may be past his days of being a critical starter for a team, I think he’s just the man to add depth to our rotation and keep us from having to wear out all our arms so early in the season.

Today’s a doubleheader, and in game one Billy Pierce (4-2, 2.05 ERA, 61.1 IP, 34 K’s, 1.04 WHIP) pitched for us, facing Bob Blaylock (3-3, 3.55 ERA, 50.2 IP, 21 K’s, 1.38 WHIP). This time we wasted no time, scoring off a Minoso RBI double and picking up a second run when Ernie Banks reached first on an error, aadding on with a two-run homer by Ed Bailey to take a 4-0 lead into the second inning. But Pierce got shelled immediately thereafter, giving up four quick runs to tie it up, so it was a wash. He stayed out there and kept his cool the remainder of his session, and we were able to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a two-run single by Jim Piersall, Wally Post scoring a few minutes later off a Spencer walk to make it a 7-4 lead heading into inning number six. Bennie Daniels took over in the top of the sixth, and we turned this one into a rout, adding a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh. Dick Drott came in to pitch in the ninth inning with us still up six runs, shutting them down as we won 11-5. Pierce improved to 5-2 with five innings pitched, allowing six hits, two walks and four earned runs with four strikeouts. Daniels lasted three innings with three hits, a walk, a run and two strikeouts, and we were able to win big despite being outhit 9-7! Willie Davis led the way with four hits, two runs and two RBIs to get his average up to .301 for the season.

In the second game, Bob Porterfield made his White Sox debut, pitching against Milt Pappas (6-4, 3.63 ERA, 69.1 IP, 41 K’s, 1.51 WHIP)so we could give Jim O’Toole an extra day’s rest. We took the lead quickly with RBI singles by Banks and Post in the bottom of the first, and Jim Pagliaroni hit an RBI single in the third that extended our lead to three runs. With a 6-3 lead in hand in the top of the seventh we brought out Paul LaPalme to pitch, and Puig took over in the top of the eighth still leading by a pair. He stayed out the rest of the way, and we won 6-4 to complete the sweep, extending our winning streak to six games. Porterfield took the win, pitching six innings with eight hits, a walk, three runs and four strikeouts, while LaPalme got a hold and Puig his second save of the season. We outhit the A’s 14-12, led by Minnie Minoso with two hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI.

We’ve retaken first place in the American League, a game and a half up on our next opponent, the New York Yankees, who we’ll face for four games on their field. We’ll then play three against Boston (25-23, 5 GB) before finally getting a day off.

June 6, 1960: Heading into this four-game series against the Yankees, we’ve won 19 of our last 22 games, building us a game and a half lead on New York and a five game lead over Cleveland and Boston. Jim O’Toole (4-1, 2.26 ERA, 55.2 IP, 25 K’s, 1.10 WHIP) started against Vinegar Bend Mizell (7-1, 3.49 ERA, 67.0 IP, 30 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) in the first game. And this game was hopelessly deadlocked until the top of the eighth, when Bobby Morgan scored off a sac-fly by Jim Pagliaroni to put us up 1-0! Burdette got us through the bottom of the inning, and Morgan hit a two-run single in the top of the ninth to add on. We kept Burdette out there in the bottom of the inning and held the Yankees off to win 3-0. O’Toole pitched seven innings with four hits, two walks and four strikeouts, improving to 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA, while Burdette pitched a two-inning save (his sixth) with two hits, a walk and two strikeouts, improving his ERA to 1.71. Each team had six hits, ours being led by Bobby Morgan who hit once, walked once, scored a run and batted in two more.

June 7, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (6-0, 3.49 ERA, 56.2 IP, 23 K’s, 1.29 WHIP) went up against Steve Ridzik (1-3, 6.07 ERA, 26.2 IP, 11 K’s, 1.57 WHIP), and this game did not go our way. Dick Drott came out to replace Stobbs in the bottom of the seventh trailing 3-1, and promptly gave up four runs with two outs, forcing us to bring out LaPalme while trailing by six runs. He remained out the rest of the way and did his job, but the damage was done. We lost 7-1, and Stobbs is perfect no longer. He fell to 6-1 with a 3.45 ERA, allowing four hits, two walks and three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts in his six innings, and we were outhit 10-6. Stobbs had a hit, a walk and a run scored, while Willie Davis had a hit and two walks but got nowhere.

June 8, 1960: Jack Kralick (5-4, 1.48 ERA, 79.0 IP, 47 K’s, 0.87 WHIP) pitched against Billy O’Dell (6-3, 1.49 ERA, 78.2 IP, 38 K’s, 0.92 WHIP). And his luck continued to sour, as New York put up four runs in the first six inning and our bats gave Kralick zero support once again. Raul Puig came out in the bottom of the seventh still trailing by four, and though he didn’t give anything else up to the Yankees, our bats got nothing back and we lost 4-0. Kralick fell to 5-5 with a 1.69 ERA, allowing nine hits, a walk and four runs (three earned) with three strikeouts, but we were outhit 9-8. Gene Stephens and Daryl Spencer led the team with three hits each to nowhere.

June 9, 1960: Stan Williams (5-1, 2.86 ERA, 56.2 IP, 40 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) pitched against Mike McCormick (3-3, 3.27 ERA, 71.2 IP, 53 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) in our final game of the four in New York. Ed Bailey hit a two-run homer in the top of the first to give us a lead, but we gave it all back and the lead too in the bottom of the third, tying it up again in the top of the fifth with a run scoring after Willie Davis hit into a fielder’s choice. Bobby Morgan hit an RBI single to get us back into the lead in the top of the sixth, and Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the seventh still leading 4-3. He blew the save but kept it tied into the top of the eighth, and Freddie Burdette came out in the bottom of the eighth with the score tied up 4-4. But they walked it off in the bottom of the ninth when Lee Thomas walked in a run with one out and the bases loaded, beating us 5-4 and taking the series three games to one. Burdette took the loss in a two inning effort, falling to 1-3 with a 1.93 ERA thanks to two hits, two walks and a run. But we were again outhit 8-4, our bats choosing the worst possible team to slump against. Ed Bailey led the way with a hit, a walk, a run and two RBIs.

We head into the three games against Boston at Fenway with a 31-21 record, trailing New York by half a game while we remain 3.5 games up on the Red Sox. But after a seven game winning streak we’re now owners of three losses in a row, and we need to find some offense if we’re going to take any kind of load off our pitchers.

jksander · 12-11-2024, 03:25 PM

June 10, 1960: Billy Pierce (5-2, 2.44 ERA, 66.1 IP, 38 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) pitched against Boston’s George Brunet (5-2, 3.08 ERA, 76.0 IP, 38 K’s, 1.32 WHIP). Ed Bailey hit into a fielder’s choice but got us the lead when Willie Davis scored in the top of the first, and moments later Wally Post hit a sac-fly and Minnie Minoso tagged up and scored to make it a 2-0 lead. And though Pierce had a great night holding them back, in the end our lack of offense proved too much ... Donn Clendenon hit a two-run slam in the bottom of the eighth to tie it up, and in the bottom of the ninth they walked it off with a Whitey Herzog single to win 3-2. Pierce fell to 5-3 with a complete game five hitter, but he walked five and gave up all three earned runs with eight strikeouts. We actually outhit them 6-5, but not when it counted ... all in the first, nothing the rest of the way. Minoso tried his best, hitting three times and driving in a run. But we continue to struggle at putting teams away with sustained scoring drives.

June 11, 1960: Jim O’Toole (5-1, 2.01 ERA, 62.2 IP, 29 K’s, 1.07 WHIP) pitched against William Dial (1-1, 13.50 ERA, 14.2 IP, 10 K’s, 2.59 WHIP). Wally Post hit a sac fly in the top of the third, Willie Davis tagging up and scoring the go-ahead run. But Boston answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth, Dick Drott coming in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh with that score unchanged ... yet another lead squandered without additional run support. Drott got shelled, giving up four runs to let Boston run away with it, and we lost in the end 6-1. This is becoming a real concern, our inability to respond when games are tight. Drott fell to 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA, giving up two hits and a walk with four UNEARNED runs, and we were evenly matched on hits, 7-7. Willie Davis had two hits and a run scored, no one else distinguishing themselves in any way.

June 12, 1960: We’ve officially followed a seven game winning streak with a five game losing streak, and Chuck Stobbs (6-1, 3.45 ERA, 62.2 IP, 28 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) started the streak so he comes out today against Frank Baumann (5-5, 3.51 ERA, 74.1 IP, 31 K’s, 1.25 WHIP) looking for any way possible to end it. Boston scored runs in the first and second innings, but we got on the board with an RBI double by Minoso and tied it up on an Ed Bailey sac fly in the top of the fourth, Willie Davis scoring the tying run. We traded runs from there, taking the lead back on a two-run homer by Wally Post in the top of the sixth, but we couldn’t hold a lead to save our damned lives. Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the seventh tied up 4-4, and Freddie Burdette took over in the eighth inning. And once again they walked it off in the bottom of the ninth, this time off a Floyd Robinson single as we lost 5-4. Close games? We’ve lost more than a few at this point. Burdette took the hit tonight, another two inning effort with two hits, two strikeouts and a run, giving him a 1-4 record and a 2.12 ERA. We were outhit 12-4, an absolute embarassment with the bats we have in this lineup ... our lack of offense at this point is positively offensive. Minoso had a hit, a run and an RBI to lead the team.

Thank God for a f---ing day off ... we actually get two in the next four days, surrounding a pair of home games against Washington (25-29). We’ll then play four against the Yankees (33-19) this weekend, followed by a third day off and a stretch with three against Baltimore (28-29) and four against the Red Sox (30-24). With us now three and a half games behind the Yankees and just half a game up on Boston, now’s the time to figure s--- out before we lose too much ground to battle back. These home games will give us a chance to find our footing before a stretch-run toward the All Star break that features 10 of 14 games on the road.

June 14, 1960: Jack Kralick (5-5, 1.69 ERA, 85.0 IP, 50 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) pitched against Camilo Pascual (5-6, 3.61 ERA, 87.1 IP, 61 K’s, 1.28 WHIP) in our first game back at home after the long road trip. As we’ve done many times before, we took the lead in the bottom of the first with a solo homer by Banks and then went eerily silent from an offensive standpoint. In the top of the sixth Washington tied it up with a line drive double by Fred Valentine, and in the top of the eighth they took the lead off a two-out triple by Danny O’Connell that had Kralick livid on the mound over our team’s inability to give him any support at all. Apparently our hitters heard him, or at least Bailey did ... he hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to put us back into the lead by two, Dick Drott taking over in the top of the ninth to try and seal it. He struck out two to strand Harmon Killebrew on first, and we won this one 4-2! Kralick got the win, improving to 6-5 with a 1.74 ERA, allowing just four hits, three walks and two earned runs in his eight innings of work, striking out three. Drott earned his fourth save, with one hit and two strikeouts, improving his ERA to 4.82 since becoming a member of our White Sox bullpen, and we outhit Washington 8-5, led by Bailey who had two hits, a run and three RBIs.

June 15, 1960: Stan Williams (5-1, 3.02 ERA, 62.2 IP, 45 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) pitched against Washington’s Bill Stafford (4-5, 5.06 ERA, 74.2 IP, 34 K’s, 1.49 WHIP) in our second of two games against the Senators, and they built a 3-0 lead on us by the middle of the third, though Jim Piersall hit an RBI single in the botom of the third and Willie Davis hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to get us back into the game. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch with two outs and a man on third in the top of the seventh, but an RBI single by Eddie Yost added to their lead before Burdette could get Gene Freese to pop out to center field to get us into the stretch. They wound up turning the game into something of a blowout, beating us in the end 7-3. Williams fell to 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA, allowing six hits, two walks and four earned runs in his 6.2 innings, while we were outhit 12-5. Piersall led the way with three hits and an RBI, but our lack of offense continues to leave us in a difficult position.

June 17, 1960: We start this four-game weekend series with a 32-25 record, tied for second place with the Red Sox, both of us three games behind the hated Yankees. Billy Pierce (5-3, 2.52 ERA, 75.0 IP, 46 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) got the start, facing John Buzhardt (0-5, 6.18 ERA, 62.2 IP, 33 K’s, 1.72 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Willie Davis, but they answered with an RBI single by Bobby Richardson in the top of the fifth and the game stayed knotted up from there. Then we woke up with a vengeance in the bottom of the seventh, with Ernie Banks hitting an RBI single for the lead, Ed Bailey folllowing it up with a three-run homer, and Billy Pierce hitting an RBI single to complete the five-run inning! Raul Puig took over in the top of the eighth, and he pitched two excellent innings as we stumped the Yankees 7-1. Pierce improved to 6-3 with seven innings and five hits, four walks and an earned run, striking out two as he improved his ERA to 2.41. We outslugged the Yankees 16-7, led by Bailey who had two hits, a run and four RBIs, while Banks hit three times for two runs and an RBI.

June 18, 1960: Jim O’Toole (5-1, 1.97 ERA, 68.2 IP, 34 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) pitched against Billy O’Dell (8-3, 1.30 ERA, 90.1 IP, 44 K’s, 0.87 WHIP). Both teams got a run each in the third inning, but Bobby Morgan got us into the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run homer, his sixth of the season, shooting us to a 4-1 lead. Wally Post hit a solo bomb out of right in the bottom of the fifth to add a little insurance, and with the lead at three runs heading into the top of the eighth, Freddie Burdette came out to take over on the mound. He got us through the remainder of the game and we held tough to win 5-2! O’Toole improved to 6-1 with a 2.02 ERA, allowing seven hits, five walks and two earned runs with four strikeouts through seven innings, while Burdette saved his seventh game and improved his ERA to 2.38 through 34 innings this season. They outhit us 9-7, but Bobby Morgan was unfazed and hit twice himself, scoring a run and batting in three to lead our hitters.

June 19, 1960: Today we’ll be playing a pair of games, with a chance to overtake the Yankees in the standings. Jack Kralick (6-5, 1.74 ERA, 93.0 IP, 53 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) pitched against Mike McCormick (3-4, 3.48 ERA, 85.1 IP, 64 K’s, 1.28 WHIP) in the first game of the day, and for once our bats gave him a ton of cushion right from the start -- Ernie Banks hit an RBI double and Wally Post added a three-run homer to get us into the top of the second leading 4-0! We picked up three more runs in the bottom of the sixth, scoring off a walk by Kralick and a two-run single by Minnie Minoso, and Kralick completed the rest of the game with ease as we whipped the Yankees 8-1! Kralick improved to 7-5 with a 1.59 ERA, allowing eight hits, three strikeouts and a single unearned run. We outhit them 11-8, led by Minoso who had three hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs.

In game two, Chuck Stobbs (6-1, 3.67 ERA, 68.2 IP, 29 K’s, 1.30 WHIP) pitched against Steve Ridzik (3-3, 3.98 ERA, 43.0 IP, 13 K’s, 1.28 WHIP). And this one was a wild game ... for the Yankees, who quickly built a 5-1 lead on us in the first five innings of play. But we picked up a run in the eighth and three more in the ninth to tie it up and force extra innings, only for Dick Drott to allow three runs in the top of the 11th to give them the win. We scored one in the bottom of the inning but lost this one 8-6 in a disappointing all-around performance. Drott took the loss and fell to 0-3, giving up six hits, a walk and three earned runs with one strikeout, exploding his ERA to 5.95 since coming here from the north side ... he has a 6.98 ERA through 38.2 innings for both our club and the Cubs, and has been disappointing in clutch situations thus far despite his great stuff. We were outhit in this one 17-16, Jim Piersall leading our batters with three hits and two RBIs, while Wally Post had three hits, two runs and an RBI.

We won three out of four games against the Yankees, and head into our Baltimore series here in Chicago with a two-game lead over the Red Sox, trailing the Yankees now by just one game. Baltimore sits in fifth place, six and a half games out of the pennant chase. We’ve got three games against them this week followed by four against Boston before we head back on the road to face the Washington Senators in the start of a 10-game road trip that will get us into July.

June 21, 1960: Stan Williams (5-2, 3.25 ERA, 69.1 IP, 49 K’s, 0.95 WHIP) pitched against Baltimore’s Dave Wickersham (7-5, 4.05 ERA, 93.1 IP, 55 K’s, 1.40 WHIP). This game was a bit of whiplash early on ... we took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to a two-run single by Jim Piersall, but Baltimore picked up three quick runs to take the lead in the top of the fourth, thanks to a walk, a sac-fly and an RBI single by Bill Sarni. We answered with a three-run homer by Banks in the bottom of the inning, his 13th homer of the season, to go back up by a pair heading into the fifth inning, and we got a little insurance in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by Post that extended our lead to 6-3. Bill Fischer took over on the mound in the top of the seventh, and then we quickly turned this into a rout ... adding a run in the seventh and SEVEN MORE in the eighth, Fischer pitching through the remainder as we stomped the Orioles 14-3. Williams gave us six innings with six hits, two walks and three earned runs, striking out three as he improved to 6-2 with a 3.35 ERA, and Fischer picked up his first save, lasting three innings with a hit and a strikeout. We outhit the Orioles 18-7, led by Banks who had three hits, a walk, two runs and four RBIs.

June 22, 1960: Billy Pierce (6-3, 2.41 ERA, 82.0 IP, 48 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) took on Don Mossi (4-3, 3.25 ERA, 74.2 IP, 39 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) in game two, and for five innings not a lot happened. Then the scoring hit ... Baltimore got on the board in the top of the sixth with a sac fly by Jose Tartabull and an RBI single by Mossi, but then we answered with an RBI double by Piersall, a two-run homer by Ed Bailey and a two-run single by Billy Pierce to go up 5-2 heading into the seventh inning. Freddie Burdette came out in the top of the eighth to protect a 5-3 lead, and Raul Puig took over in the ninth, shutting them down as we held on to win by that same two-run margin. Pierce improved to 7-3 with a seven inning eight hit effort, walking four with six strikeouts and allowing three earned runs. Burdette picked up his third hold and Puig his third save, as the two combined for two innings with just three hits and a walk. The Orioles outhit us 11-10, but Bailey powered us through with three hits, a walk, a run and two RBIs to lead our offense.

June 23, 1960: Jim O’Toole (6-1, 2.02 ERA, 75.2 IP, 38 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) pitched against Glen Hobbie (3-5, 5.30 ERA, 69.2 IP, 20 K’s, 1.45 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run homer by Bailey, his 13th of the season. But the Orioles put three runs on the board in the top of the fifth to steal the lead, and Dick Drott took over in the top of the seventh trailing 4-2. He gave up another run in the top of the eighth, but Wally Post hit an RBI single, Piersall knocked in two with a double to tie the game, and Bobby Morgan hit an RBI single to drive in the go-ahead as we took back control in the bottom of the eighth. Raul Puig came out to pitch in the top of the ninth and closed it out precisely as we won this one 6-5 to complete the sweep. Drott improved to 1-3 with a 5.82 ERA, pitching two innings with three hits, two strikeouts and an earned run, and Puig got his fourth save to improve his ERA to 2.14 through 21 innings since joining our White Sox. He has a 2.30 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP through 31.1 innings between our team and the Phillies. They outhit us 9-7, but Bailey put up two hits, two runs and two RBIs, and Wally Post added two hits, a run and an RBI as we came from behind to win.

The Yankees (36-26) dropped a pair in Detroit, so we’ve retaken a one game lead in the AL pennant race with our 38-26 record. We’ll head to Boston for four games against the third-place Red Sox, who at 36-29 trail the Yankees by a game and a half, and us by two and a half.

jksander · 12-11-2024, 03:30 PM

June 24, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (6-1, 3.98 ERA, 74.2 IP, 29 K’s, 1.34 WHIP) took on George Brunet (6-3, 3.49 ERA, 95.1 IP, 49 K’s, 1.35 WHIP) in front of nearly 32,000 White Sox fans this evening, and we took the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by Spencer followed by Stobbs reaching first on an error to drive home Spencer from third. But Boston answered with a pair themselves in the top of the third, so Spencer had to hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to get us the lead back. Dick Drott came out to pitch in the top of the seventh leading 4-3, and he blew the save as the Red Sox tied us up off an RBI single by Willie Jones. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in the top of the eighth, and he got us through two innings without a score, but this one went into extra innings when we couldn’t find a way to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth. Paul LaPalme took over in the top of the 10th, and he gave up a pair to give Boston all the momentum. We lost 6-4, in another close game we should, on paper, have been able to win. LaPalme took the loss, fallling to 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA, allowing two hits, a walk, two runs and striking out one batter. But the real story was we let Boston outhit us 11-7, our team led by Daryl Spencer with two hits, two runs and three RBIs.

June 25, 1960: Bob Porterfield (1-0, 4.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 4 K’s, 1.50 WHIP) got the start in our second game against the Red Sox, facing the ice cold Bob Kuzawa (2-9, 5.56 ERA, 68.0 IP, 43 K’s, 1.53 WHIP). It wasn’t a great start for him, with Boston taking the lead 2-0 in the second inning and still holding a 4-2 advantage in the top of the seventh when Raul Puig came out to pitch. Puig pitched the rest of the way but we weren’t able to make up any ground, and the Red Sox stuffed us 5-2 ahead of tomorrow’s doubleheader. Porterfield had four hits, four walks, four strikeouts and four earned runs in his six innings, dropping his record to 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA. We outhit them 8-5, but our offense couldn’t make anything happen on the basepaths when it counted. Jim Pagliaroni hit three times to nowhere, and Wally Post had two hits and a run scored to lead the team.

June 26, 1960: Things are definitely tight at the top of the AL standings right now, with us tied with New York for the lead, just half a game up on the Red Sox, who have surged to a 38-29 record. Jack Kralick (7-5, 1.59 ERA, 102.0 IP, 56 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) took the mound in game one against Hoyt Wilhelm (5-5, 4.07 ERA, 77.1 IP, 39 K’s, 1.40 WHIP), and we took the lead in the bottom of the first when Ernie Banks grounded into a double play that allowed Willie Davis to score. It remained a tight contest from there, but Kralick patiently pitched well through the seventh, and we added six runs in the bottom of that inning, batting around in the process! We added four more in the bottom of the eighth, and Kralick pitched to complete his game, shutting them out 11-0 and allowing just three hits and five walks with three strikeouts in the process! Kralick is now 8-5 with a 1.46 ERA through 14 starts, and has to be considered a front-runner in the “way too goddamned early” Cy Young conversations. We outhit Boston 13-3 ... Willie Davis had the best overall night, with two hits, two runs and four RBIs including a seventh inning homer, but Minoso and Bailey each hit three times as well, giving us some real late innings power.

Stan Williams (6-2, 3.35 ERA, 75.1 IP, 52 K’s, 0.98 WHIP) got the start in game two, facing Frank Baumann (6-5, 3.35 ERA, 94.0 IP, 40 K’s, 1.24 WHIP). Boston scored first in the top of the fourth, but we tied it with a Pagliaroni RBI single and took the lead with a single by Luis Aparicio. Wally Post hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 3-1 lead, but Williams got rung up in the top of the sixth, thanks to a three run double by Donn Clendenon and a sac-fly by Ron Henson, Paul LaPalme taking over with two outs to get us through the inning trailing at that point by a 5-3 margin. Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the eighth with the score unchanged, and Bill Fischer came out in the ninth to keep us at least barely in the hunt ... but our bats failed to make anything happen and we lost 5-3. Williams took the hit, allowing five hits, a walk and five runs (three earned) with seven strikeouts through 5.2 innings, falling to 6-3 with a 3.44 ERA. We outhit them 11-6, so it’s maddening that we couldn’t find any way to get back into this one. Wally Post had three hits, a run and an RBI, while Aparicio hit three times and batted in one.

We got some really bad news about Bob Rush, who had already been on the IL with shoulder inflamation since spring training .... we’ve now learned he has to have surgery, is facing an eight month recovery (at least) and his career is almost certainly over at age 34. He is only making $22,500 per year, so we’re going to keep him on the 60-day IL the rest of the season and see how he handles the offseason, but it’s looking grim. He was our best bullpen arm last season and is a well known fan favorite, so it’s a hard pill to swallow.

June 28, 1960: We’re back on the road against the Washington Senators, with Billy Pierce (7-3, 2.53 ERA, 89.0 IP, 54 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) pitching against Harold Larned (2-7, 4.08 ERA, 75.0 IP, 42 K’s, 1.40 WHIP). And with ten of our next 14 games before the All Star break on the road, we need to see this team step up if we don’t want to lose significant ground. We took the lead in the top of the first with a two-run homer by Minoso, and Wally Post hit a solo blast to add on in the top of the fourth. Washington fought back in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run single by Gene Freese, but we got one of those runs back in the top of the seventh when Bobby Morgan became our third player to homer in this game. Dick Drott took over in the bottom of the seventh, and again he choked ... three runs were scored by the Senators, and we brought Burdette out to pitch in the bottom of the eighth trailing by a run ... and our bats were no match, the Senators capitalizing on their momentum shift as they beat us 5-4. Drott blew his second save and fell to 1-4 ... his 6.85 ERA since the trade from the north side is frustrating, as his lack of control continues to dog him ... but it has dogged many among our bullpen arms, a problem I am still struggling to solve. They outhit us 8-5, Minoso leading the way for us with two hits, a run and two RBIs.

June 29, 1960: Jim O’Toole (6-1, 2.31 ERA, 81.2 IP, 42 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) pitched against Washington’s Camilo Pascual (5-9, 4.17 ERA, 110.0 IP, 74 K’s, 1.32 WHIP). We took the lead in the fifth inning, picking up a run when Daryl Spencer hit into a fielder’s choice, Piersall scoring from third to break the stalemate. Willie Davis hit an RBI single moments later, Minoso followed with an RBI double, and Ernie Banks slammed a two-run homer out of the park to make it a 5-0 lead in the blink of an eye. Bill Fischer came out in the bottom of the eighth still leading by three runs, and he pitched the remainder of the way as we held on to win 5-2. O’Toole improved to 7-1 with a 2.33 ERA, allowing two hits, two walks and two earned runs with six strikeouts through seven innings. Fischer got his second save, improving his ERA to 2.19 through 12.1 innings this season, and we narrowly outhit them 5-4. Ernie Banks’ homer led the way, giving him a hit, a run and two RBIs.

June 30, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (6-1, 4.02 ERA, 80.2 IP, 31 K’s, 1.30 WHIP) pitched against Gerald Neal (3-5, 6.44 ERA, 65.2 IP, 43 K’s, 1.81 WHIP) in our final game of this series against the Senators, and this time we just laid a big giant steaming egg. The Senators took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, added three more in the fifth and one in the sixth, and we brought in Bennie Daniels, our long reliever, in the seventh with the game pretty much a wash. In the end they stomped us 10-3, and we looked like complete and total horse droppings, outhitting them 13-10 and outwalking them 7-3 but still only managing to put up three runs. Stobbs fell to 6-2 with eight hits, a walk and seven earned runs in six innings, with Daryl Spencer (three hits, a run and an RBI) and Jim Piersall (two hits, one RBI) our only batters with the ability to hold their heads up. The loss sends us into the month of July with a 40-31 record and still in the fight -- we’re in third place, half a game back of Boston and two games behind New York -- but our offensive inconsistency and bullpen chaos still threatening to knock us down hard.

Our remaining games before the All Star break include three games in Baltimore (36-38) this weekend and a doubleheader against Detroit (29-39) on Independence Day. We then get a day off, and will face Cleveland (35-35) for six games in a row (two on the road and four here in Chicago, including a doubleheader on July 10th, with the All Star game set to be played the very next day.

July 1, 1960: Jack Kralick (8-5, 1.46 ERA, 111.0 IP, 59 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) started our first game against Baltimore, facing Dick Wickersham (7-7, 4.05 ERA, 106.2 IP, 62 K’s, 1.46 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the fourth with a two-run double by Daryl Spencer, and a four-run top of the seventh sent us into the stretch leading 6-1! Kralick stayed out the rest of the way as we held the O’s back to win 6-2. The win improved his record to 9-5 with a 1.50 ERA ... he allowed nine hits and two runs with a strikeout, getting outhit by the Orioles 9-7 but still escaping with our win. Banks led the way with two hits, a run and two RBIs, matched by Wally Post who did the same thing.

July 2, 1960: We’re 8-1 so far against Baltimore, and we’ve won eight in a row against them heading into this game, with Stan Williams (6-3, 3.44 ERA, 81.0 IP, 59 K’s, 0.99 WHIP) facing off against Don “The Sphinx” Mossi (4-4, 3.45 ERA, 88.2 IP, 45 K’s, 1.24 WHIP). Baltimore took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI double by Billy Williams, and in the bottom of the seventh Wayne Causey led off with a triple, and we had to bring up Puig with no outs. Baltimore managed to add on a pair of runs in that frame, and that pretty much did us in ... we went on to lose a 4-0 shutout, Williams taking the loss with four hits, a walk and two runs in his six innings, with six strikeouts. They outhit us 7-3, and even with five free passes we couldn’t make anything happen.

July 3, 1960: Billy Pierce (7-3, 2.46 ERA, 95.0 IP, 57 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) faced Glen Hobbie (3-5, 4.63 ERA, 83.2 IP, 26 K’s, 1.36 WHIP) in the rubber match. This was a score often kind of game ... we took the lead on a Banks solo homer in the top of the first, but Washington bounced back with an RBI triple by Billy Williams and took the lead with an RBI single by Wayne Causey in the bottom of the inning. Jim Piersall scored the tying run in the top of the second off a sac-fly by Pagliaroni, and we retook the lead with a Banks RBI double in the top of the third, adding on in the top of the fourth with a Pagliaroni solo homer to lead 4-2. But in the bottom of the fourth they got an RBI single by Lenny Green and a two-run double by Bill Sarni to retake the lead 5-4 as we all got a touch of whiplash. We answered with a three-run homer by Wally Post in the top of the fifth to take a 7-5 lead, our fifth inning in a row with runs scoring ... Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the sixth, still leading by a pair, but he gave up three thanks to a two-run single by Brooks Robinson and a Wayne Causey RBI single, making it clear that 1) our bullpen sucks, and 2) this one was destined to remain a shootout. Paul LaPointe took over in the bottom of the seventh, giving them another run, and Burdette came out in the eighth trailing by a pair, holding them off to give us a chance. But we were done scoring and the Orioles took another from us, this time 9-7. That was capital-U Ugly. Fischer blew his second save and took the loss, falling to 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA with five hits and three earned runs in his single inning of work, and we were outhit 17-10, Ernie Banks leading the way for us with two hits, two runs and two RBIs including his 15th homer.

Tomorrow we celebrate our nation’s independence with a doubleheader against the 29-43 Detroit Tigers, with our team now 41-33 and 4.5 games out of first, though we remain comfortably in third place, five games up on the Orioles and Guardians. It’s time to turn things around though -- we haven’t won back-to-back games since sweeping the Orioles June 21-23. In fact we’re 3-7 in our last ten games, so this is definitely NOT the way we wanted to look heading into the All Star break.

jksander · 12-11-2024, 06:26 PM

July 4, 1960: Jim O’Toole (7-1, 2.33 ERA, 88.2 IP, 48 K’s, 1.07 WHIP) pitched game one of today’s doubleheader, taking on the Tigers’ Tom Brewer (6-4, 4.32 ERA, 100.0 IP, 49 K’s, 1.37 WHIP). Willie Davis quickly put us into the lead with a lead-off homer in the top of the first, his eight of the season so far, and in the top of the fourth Ernie Banks got us going with a leadoff homer of his own, which Piersall followed with a two-run blast as we extended the lead. O’Toole held on to complete the game, and though Detroit got a run in the fourth and another in the eighth, they never really made it a game as we went on to win 4-2, all our runs coming off homers. O’Toole allowed six hits, a walk and two runs with six strikeouts, improving to 8-1 with a 2.30 ERA, despite us being outhit 6-5. Piersall led the way with his two-run homer, while Davis and Banks had theirs as well.

Bob Porterfield (1-1, 5.25 ERA, 12.0 IP, 8 K’s, 1.42 WHIP) pitched in game two, facing Herm Wehmeier (2-6, 4.93 ERA, 49.1 IP, 26 K’s, 1.30 WHIP). We took the lead with an RBI single by Banks in the top of the first, Tommy Harper then hitting a sac-fly to drive home a second run with our second out. The Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single by John Orsino, and Orsino tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth ... but Jim Piersall came out strong in the top of the fifth, blasting a three-run homer out of right to put us back in the lead. The Tigers didn’t quit, and Don Mincher hit a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to get them back within a run. Freddie Burdette came out in the bottom of the seventh to protect our 5-4 lead, and he failed, blowing the save opportunity when Don Blasingame tagged up and scored off a sac-fly by Tom Tresh to tie us up at five each. Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the eighth, and in the top of the ninth inning we got the lead back with a two-run single by Banks! Raul Puig came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning and held them off nicely as we won 7-5 to complete the doubleheader sweep. Burdette blew his first save of the year, walking one and allowing an earned run as his ERA slipped slightly to 2.14 ... but Fischer got the win, improving to 1-2 with a 3.77 ERA with just one walk, and Puig saved his fifth game, striking out a batter and improving his ERA to 2.38 through 27 innings. We outhit Detroit 10-6, led by Banks, who hit three times with three RBIs, and by Piersall who added two hits, two walks, a run and three RBIs including his fifth homer (and second of the day).

We’ve now taken back second place, a half game up on Boston and 3.5 games back of the Yankees heading into our six game stretch against the Cleveland Guardians (38-37, 8 GB, 4th place). We’ll play them twice in Cleveland and then four times this weekend in Chicago before getting four days off for the All Star break.

July 6, 1960: Jack Kralick (9-5, 1.50 ERA, 120.0 IP, 60 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) got the start against Cleveland’s Tom Cheney (5-7, 3.35 ERA, 96.2 IP, 61 K’s, 1.33 WHIP). And this game was a long stretch of quiet, followed by a tantalizing taste of offense, followed by multiple innings of more quiet. Cleveland took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, a single by Fred Hatfield driving in their first run. We answered in the top of the sixth to tie it up with a single by Bobby Morgan, and then they retook the lead in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double by Jerry Kindall. We fought to climb back, but our bats stayed silent, and despite Kralick pitching the rest of the way we still lost this one 2-1. He only allowed six hits, walking three with four strikeouts and letting them have two earned runs. We outhit them 7-6, but didn’t make much count ... Piersall had two hits and a walk, and Morgan batted in our only run. Kralick remains incredibly unlucky, falling to 9-6 with a 1.55 ERA. This was his fourth complete game in a row.

July 7, 1960: Stan Williams (6-4, 3.41 ERA, 87.0 IP, 65 K’s, 0.98 WHIP) pitched against Don Nottebart (1-1, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 5 K’s, 1.67 WHIP), who Cleveland just called back up after a 7-3 start and a 3.22 ERA with AAA Toronto. And it didn’t matter how inexperienced he was -- we still got destroyed in this one, with Bernie Daniels coming in in the bottom of the sixth trailing 7-1 against the Guardians, our bats looking as impotent as ever. Nothing changed in the remainder of the game as we got shellacked 11-1 ... we’ll return to Chicago needing these four games against the Guardians to go well or we’ll be limping our way into the break. Williams allowed 10 hits in 5.2 innings, walking two with four strikeouts and seven runs (five earned), dropping him to 6-5 with a 3.69 ERA. But we were outslugged 16-6, only Minnie Minoso looking remotely on point with two hits, a run and an RBI.

July 8, 1960: We’re back in Chicago for a couple weeks surrounding the upcoming All Star break, and this weekend features four more games against the Cleveland Guardians. Billy Pierce (7-3, 2.79 ERA, 100.0 IP, 58 K’s, 1.20 WHIP) pitched today against Jim Wilson (5-5, 3.59 ERA, 90.1 IP, 33 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) in front of 27,000 White Sox fans on a Friday evening ... and while there were groans when Norm Cash hit a two-run homer to put them up in the top of the first, the crowd loosened up nicely in the bottom of the inning when we put up six of our own, including a three-run blast by Daryl Spencer, as we batted around. We then added six more in the bottom of the second, including an Ed Bailey two-run blast, and we went into the third inning leading 12-2 with Willie Davis already with two hits in three at-bats, with a run and an RBI. This game remained a total rout until the final pitch, and Pierce was frustrated he didn’t get to complete his game ... but at 146 pitches after eight innings we had to bring out Drott, it wasn’t worth risking injury in a game with a 12-run lead heading into the top of the ninth. Drott got us through the final frame unblemished, and we won 18-6! Pierce improved to 8-3 with a 3.08 ERA, allowing 13 hits, five walks and six earned runs in his eight innings, striking out a pair. We outhit the Guardians 16-13, but four of our hits were homers that accounted for nine runs. Davis finished with three hits, two runs and three RBIs, while Spencer hit once, walked once, scored twice and batted in four runs. Even Pierce got in on the action, hitting twice with a run and two batted in, Drott being our only player not to get a hit -- and that’s only because he never got the chance to bat.

July 9, 1960: All-Star rosters were officially announced this morning, and we have the following White Sox players being represented there this year:

SP Jack Kralick (9-6, 1.55 ERA, 128.0 IP, 0.94 WHIP, 4.5 K/9, 3.6 WAR)
SP Jim O’Toole (8-1, 2.30 ERA, 97.2 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 3.8 WAR)
C Ed Bailey (.283/.368/.513, 226 AB, 14 HR, 1 SB, 146 wRC+, 2.6 WAR)
SS Ernie Banks (.306/.347/.535, 271 AB, 16 HR, 2 SB, 142 wRC+, 1.8 WAR)

O’Toole started for us today, facing Cleveland’s Ray Herbert (9-1, 2.13 ERA, 80.1 IP, 33 K’s, 1.05 WHIP), and we were able to give him a calm six-inning start as we dominated the first half of the game, leading 9-0 by the time we brought out Paul LaPalme in the top of the seventh. LaPalme didn’t get us through with a shutout, but he handled the remainder of the game for a three-inning save (his first of the year) and we came out of the game with a 9-2 win. O’Toole improves to 9-1 with a 2.17 ERA, allowing just one hit with two walks and three strikeouts. We outhit Cleveland 10-4, led by Wally Post with two hits, a run and five RBIs.

July 10, 1960: We have the doubleheader today, and then the All Star game tomorrow, followed by three blessed days off to rest before the second half of the season gets going. Chuck Stobbs (6-2, 4.47 ERA, 86.2 IP, 33 K’s, 1.32 WHIP) got the start in game one against Robin Roberts (5-5, 4.04 ERA, 111.1 IP, 50 K’s, 1.12 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Ed Bailey, and in the bottom of the fifth we added on when Jim Piersall tagged up and scored off a sac-fly by Daryl Spencer. Raul Puig took over in the top of the sixth with a two-run lead, and in the bottom of the seventh we blew this one open, adding an RBI single by Spencer and a GRAND SLAM by Willie Davis to extend our shutout lead to seven! Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the eighth and got us through the remainder as we blasted the Guardians 7-1! Stobbs got the win, allowing three hits with five strikeouts in five innings, improving to 7-2 with a 4.22 ERA, and Puig picked up his fifth hold in a two-inning, one hit, one strikeout effort. Burdette didn’t come in for a save opportunity, but he did give us two innings with three hits, two walks a run and two strikeouts as well, and both he and Puig now have ERAs that are inching closer to 2.00. We outhit the Guardians 8-7, led by Davis, who had two hits, a run and his four RBIs off the grand slam.

Bob Porterfield (1-1, 5.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 8 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) handled the back half of the doubleheader, facing Tom Cheney (6-7, 3.21 ERA, 103.2 IP, 65 K’s, 1.35 WHIP). Cleveland got an early lead, thanks to an RBI single by Jerry Kindall in the top of the first and a two-run homer by Rocky Colavito in the top of the fourth. But we got on the board in the bottom of the inning when Ernie Banks tagged up and scored off a Piersall sac-fly, and in the bottom of the fifth we batted around, scoring off an RBI double by Davis, tying the score off a Banks walk, taking the lead with a Wally Post walk, and adding on with a two-run single by Jim Pagliaroni to give us a 6-3 lead! Bill Fischer took over in the top of the seventh leading 8-4, and LaPalme came out to pitch in the eighth with the margin unchanged. Dick Drott then pitched the top of the ninth with a five run lead under his control, and we stumped the Guardians 9-4 for the four-game sweep! Porterfield improved to 2-1, allowing seven hits, two walks and four earned runs in his six innings, striking out four as his ERA increased to 5.62. But he got the job done in a bullpen game that allowed Kralick to rest up for the All Star game, and we outhit Cleveland 12-7, led by Wally Post with two hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs.

The win improves our pre-All Star record to 47-35, just three games back of the 49-31 Yankees, leading Boston (45-37) still by two games. This season has had its ups and downs, but we’re in prime position to get ourselves back to the World Series for the first time in more than four decades.

July 11, 1960: Another All Star game has come and gone, and once again the NL All Stars had our number. We took the lead in the top of the third when Jim Gilliam tagged up and scored off a sac-fly by Billy Williams, but Eddie Mathews hit a two-run slam out of left in the bottom of the inning to give them a 2-1 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. The NL added on with a sac-fly by Don Demeter in the bottom of the sixth, and though Yogi Berra got an RBI single (aided by an E8 error) in the top of the seventh to get us a run back, that was as close as we’d get. The NL All Stars won this one 3-2, in a game that lacked the kind of offensive pop from both sides that the fans had been hoping to see. Ernie Banks got a hit for us, but Ed Bailey did not. Kralick gave up two hits in his inning as the starting pitcher, but through 11 pitches he managed not to give up any scoring chances. O’Toole pitched in the fourth inning and allowed a single hit off 15 pitches to stay scoreless as well.

July 14, 1960: For the back half of the season, with all our pitchers fully rested, we’re restructuring our rotation slightly, switching O’Toole and Williams to put O’Toole as the back-end of a 1-2 punch behind Kralick. We’re also moving Bernie Daniels down to AAA, calling up closer Merrill Silver who has gone 7-2 with 14 saves and a 2.53 ERA this year in San Diego. Dick Drott will move into a long relief position alongside Porterfield, with our primary bullpen arms being Silver (closer), Burdette (stopper) and Puig (setup), with LaPalme and Fischer as our middle relief options. Silver, at age 25, will be making his debut for us when he does pitch, though he will need a few days’ rest since he pitched 4.1 innings over three appearances the last four days in San Diego ... that with the long flight east and he’s going to need a chance to get used to his new teammates.

Our schedule for the remainder of July includes a four-game set hosting Baltimore (42-42) this weekend, followed by three games against Boston (45-37). We then hit the road the rest of the month, with four against the Yankees (49-31), three against Boston, three against Washington (39-41) and three against Baltimore before we return to Chicago for five games against the Senators over four nights August 4-7. We’ll have four Sunday doubleheaders in the next five weeks, so Porterfield and Drott will have their chances to trade off when needed to keep our starters fresh.

jksander · 12-17-2024, 01:15 PM

July 15, 1960: Jack Kralick (9-6, 1.55 ERA, 128.0 IP, 64 K’s, 0.94 WHIP) started against Baltimore’s Gaylord Perry (9-6, 3.34 ERA, 134.2 IP, 85 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) in our first game back from the break, and nearly 31,000 fans came out to watch us go. Daryl Spencer hit a solo homer in the bottom of the second to put us into the lead, but Kralick had one of the worst innings of his season in the top of the third, as Frank Thomas tied it up with a homer of his own and then Bill Sarni hit a two-run single to push them into the lead 3-1. Willie Davis stole third and then came around to score on a sac-fly by Minnie Minoso in the bottom of the inning, but we weren’t able to get that tying run through. Kralick kept plugging onward, getting us into the stretch still trailing just 3-2, but Raul Puig had to take over for him in the top of the eighth and Freddie Burdette came out n the top of the ninth. The pitchers all did their jobs, leaving it up to our bats to get something going in the closing moments ... and once again they left everybody high and dry as we lost to the Orioles 3-2. Kralick fell to 9-7 with a 1.67 ERA, allowing just eight hits, two walks and three earned runs with five strikeouts. But Baltimore outhit us 9-4, and it’s hard not to feel for these pitchers when they have to go out there on a razor’s edge every night knowing our offense turns on and off in close games like a spigot. Spencer led the way with two hits, a run and an RBI including the home run in the bottom of the second.

July 16, 1960: Jim O’Toole (9-1, 2.17 ERA, 103.2 IP, 57 K’s, 1.01 WHIP) faced Baltimore’s Dave Wickersham (7-9, 4.19 ERA, 120.1 IP, 69 K’s, 1.47 WHIP) in game two, and Baltimore just hammered us early, building a 6-1 lead midway through the fifth ... what is it with my teams coming out of the All Star break playing all drugged out and lethargic? We got a couple runs back in the bottom of the inning, and Dick Drott came out in long relief in the top of the sixth. In the top of the eighth, still trailing 6-4, Freddie Burdette came out to pitch and kept our bullpen scoreless, but our bats remained silent so he stayed out in the ninth and gave up a run, showing visible frustration out there as he gave the ball back. We lost this one 7-4 and it’s inexcusable that we can’t find ways to score runs when our bullpen gives these hitters so many chances to rally. O’Toole took the loss, falling to 9-2 with a 2.57 ERA, and he takes a share of the blame, having given up six hits and three walks for six earned runs in his five innings of work. The bullpen combined for four innings of one hit, two walk, five strikeout baseball, allowing just the one run in garbage time, but we got outhit 10-7. Ernie Banks led the way with a hit, a walk and two RBIs.

July 17, 1960: Billy Pierce (8-3, 3.08 ERA, 108.0 IP, 60 K’s, 1.28 WHIP) pitched in the first game of today’s doubleheader against the Orioles, matching up against Don Mossi (6-4, 3.04 ERA, 106.2 IP, 54 K’s, 1.17 WHIP). We took a slim lead in the bottom of the fifth off a groundout by Willie Davis that scored Spencer from third. Luis Aparicio added an RBI double to extend the lead in the sixth, and though they got on the board in the top of the seventh with an RBI single by Lenny Green, Ed Bailey answered by hitting an RBI single in the bottom of the inning that drove Willie Davis in to get the lead back to 3-1. Raul Puig took over in the top of the eighth, and in the top of the ninth Merrill Silver made his MLB debut with a two-run lead behind him, shutting the Orioles down as we won 3-1! Pierce got the win, improving to 9-3 with a seven inning effort, allowing just three hits, two walks and an earned run with five strikeouts, improving his ERA to 2.97. Puig got his sixth hold, striking out two without a hit, and Silver got his first save, allowing a hit, two walks and three strikeouts, walking a fine line -- he loaded the bases with a walk, but with two outs struck Rod Kanehl out swinging to get us out of there. And we outhit the Orioles 10-4, led by Davis with two hits, a run and an RBI.

In game two we put Stan Williams (6-5, 3.69 ERA, 92.2 IP, 69 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) up against Eli Grba (5-5, 3.11 ERA, 92.2 IP, 41 K’s, 1.38 WHIP). The Orioles got into the lead quickly with a sac-fly by Billy Williams that scored Ron Santo from third. But we got the lead back in the bottom of the second thanks to back-to-back singles by Daryl Spencer and Stan Williams, and we traded runs in the third and fourth to take a 3-2 lead into the fifth inning. They tied it up in the top of the fifth when Ron Santo hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Grba from third, but Williams stayed sharp enough to get us through the top of the sixth, and with two outs and men on first and second in the top of the seventh we brought out Paul LaPalme ... who immediately gave up one of Williams’ runs when Frank Thomas hit an RBI double for the lead. LaPalme was excellent in the top of the eighth, getting three quick outs off soft contact, but we couldn’t buy a hit to save our lives. LaPalme pitched around a pair of baserunners in the top of the ninth to give us a chance, but we couldn’t deliver on offense and lost this one 4-3. Williams took the loss, allowing eight hits, three walks and four earned runs in his 6.2 innings. LaPalme pitched the remaining 2.1 frames, allowing two hits with a walk and a strikeout, but once again our bullpen was trustable ... we just can’t hit when it counts. We matched them 10-10 in that regard, but none came in the clutch, five scoreless innings to finish the game ... Bobby Morgan led the way with three hits, a walk and a run scored.

We lost three out of four to the Orioles, helping them get back above .500, though for now we remain in second place four games back of the Yankees. With three games now against Boston, who we only lead by half a game, this would be a really bad time not to start finding ways to score.

July 18, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (7-2, 4.22 ERA, 91.2 IP, 38 K’s, 1.28 WHIP) got the start on a cold, rainy night here in Chicago, facing Boston’s famed knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm (5-7, 3.66 ERA, 98.1 IP, 52 K’s, 1.37 WHIP). The rain kept many of our fans away, but we played hard early, buoyed by the noise from the 22,000 fans who did make it out. Chuck Stobbs hit an RBI single to get us the lead in the bottom of the second, and in the bottom of the fourth we unleashed, walking in two runs in a row and then piling on with a two-run single by Banks to give us a 5-0 lead. We got sloppy in the top of the sixth, giving them back three runs, but we held a 6-3 lead going into the seventh when Raul Puig came out to pitch. He got two outs off a double play but let Donn Clendenon get a run back with an RBI single. Bill Fischer took over with two outs and a man on first, and he promptly allowed Floyd Robinson to hit an RBI triple, Whitey Herzog tying it up with an RBI single moments later as Fischer blew the save. Mike de la Hoz reached first on an E5 error to load the bags, but Fischer escaped with the tie when Davis made a great diving catch in right field to end the inning knotted up 6-6, stranding three as we headed into the stretch. Bob Porterfield came out to pitch in the top of the eighth, still tied up, and he gave up two runs to pretty much seal the deal. Our bats were done, and we lost this one 8-6. What a f---ing disappointment. Porterfield took the hit, falling to 2-2 with a 5.85 ERA, allowing five hits, a walk and two earned runs in his two innings after Fischer blew his third save of the year with two hits, a walk and an earned run while getting just one out. Worse, we were outhit 16-10, led by Wally Post with two hits, a run and an RBI.

July 19, 1960: Dick Drott (1-4, 4 SV, 5.65 ERA, 28.2 IP, 21 K’s, 1.95 WHIP) got the start to rest our rotation, facing Boston’s Gene Conley (1-0, 1.77 ERA, 20.1 IP, 5 K’s, 1.08 WHIP), who they claimed off waivers from New York back in mid-June. Wally Post grounded out to first but drove in a run in the bottom of the first to give us a lead, and in the bottom of the third we added on when Minoso tagged up and scored off a sac-fly by Banks, which was followed immediately by a solo homer from Bailey to put us up 3-0. We added four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to give us a 7-1 lead when Paul LaPalme took over in the top of the sixth inning. He pitched the rest of the way and held tough to the lead as we shut the Red Sox down in this one 7-1 as Drott and LaPalme combined for a shared one-hitter. We would have kept Drott out longer, but he had already pitched the fifth inning following a 31-minute rain delay, so even though he had five innings with three walks, a strikeout and an unearned run, we weren’t going to worry about any no-hitter. He still improved to 2-4 with a 4.81 ERA, and LaPalme had a one-hit, three walk, three strikeout save thanks to his ability to throw four innings with just 57 pitches. He now has a 2.48 ERA through 32.2 innings. We outhit them 10-1, led by Ed Bailey who had two hits, a walk, two runs and three RBIs.

We signed backup outfielder Gene Stephens to a three year extension that will keep him here through 1963 with an average salary of $62,500, just $9,000 or so more than he’s making right now. Though he hasn’t had a ton of playing time this year, he’s a key backup if we ever have an injury in the outfield, as he can play at a Gold Glove level at all three positions. So far this year he’s been our best pinch-hitter as well, hitting .345 in 29 opportunities. And if anything were to happen, we know he’s got the skills to step right in with no questions asked.

July 20, 1960: Jack Kralick (9-7, 1.67 ERA, 135.0 IP, 69 K’s, 0.96 WHIP) started today against Boston’s George Brunet (8-5, 3.54 ERA, 132.1 IP, 79 K’s, 1.28 WHIP). We took the lead quickly in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Wally Post, a groundout by Jim Piersall that drove home Minnie Minoso, and an RBI single by Jim Pagliaroni. Kralick carried his shutout into the ninth, and though Bob Allison hit a sac-fly that drove in a run for the Red Sox, he still finished a complete game four-hitter as we won easily 5-1. Kralick improved to 10-7 with a 1.62 ERA, striking out six against two walks. We outhit Boston 9-4, led by Pagliaroni with two hits and two RBIs, while Willie Davis added two hits, a run and an RBI. Most important, we got a series win against the Red Sox, with a day off and then a four-game set on the road against the Yankees (52-35), who have a three game lead on us.

July 22, 1960: The series against the Yankees this year has been pretty even ... we hold a 6-5 lead on them so far heading into this four game series on the road. Jim O’Toole (9-2, 2.57 ERA, 108.2 IP, 60 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) got the start against Mike McCormick (6-7, 3.75 ERA, 132.0 IP, 89 K’s, 1.34 WHIP), and this one was a real defensive battle ... New York took the lead in the bottom of the second off an RBI single by Alvin Dark, and we didn’t get anything going until the top of the ninth, when Jim Piersall scored off an E5 error that allowed Bobby Morgan to take first base. O’Toole safely got us through the bottom of that inning, and this one was headed for extras! That’s when we unleashed on the Yankees -- with one out in the top of the 10th Wally Post hit a three-run triple, and Freddie Burdette came out to close in the bottom of the inning, getting three quick outs without a baserunner as we stunned the home crowd and won 4-1! O’Toole pitched nine innings with four hits, two walks, six strikeouts and one earned run, improving to 10-2 with a 2.45 ERA, while Burdette saved his eighth game and improved his ERA to 2.25 through 48 innings. We outhit New York 7-4, led by Post, whose triple in the 10th inning gave him two hits and three RBIs today.

July 23, 1960: There’s no love lost between our two teams, which made it harder to believe that the Yanks only drew 26,000 fans out for this one, with Billy Pierce (9-3, 2.97 ERA, 115.0 IP, 65 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitching against John Buzhardt (1-8, 5.78 ERA, 104.1 IP, 52 K’s, 1.60 WHIP) who the Yankees picked up from Cincinnati in a mid-June trade. They got things going in the bottom of the first with an RBI triple by Mickey Mantle, a flyball single by Woodie Held and an RBI double by Tony Kubek to give the home team a 3-0 lead. But Minnie Minoso scored off a single by Piersall in the top of the fourth and a Bobby Morgan two-run double tied us up! Unfortunately, though Pierce stayed out to pitch a complete game, we blew this one in the bottom of the sixth when Woodie Held hit a two-run homer we had no answer for ... they beat us 5-3, and we’ll head into tomorrow’s doubleheader needing both games to go our way if we’re going to gain ground on our rivals. Pierce fell to 9-4 with a seven hit three strikeout game, allowing five runs (four earned) and pushing his ERA back up to 3.07. We were outhit 7-4 in a reversal of yesterday’s game, with Morgan leading the way with two hits and two RBIs.

July 24, 1960: Stan Williams (6-6, 3.81 ERA, 99.1 IP, 69 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) pitched game one of the doubleheader today, facing Billy O’Dell (10-7, 2.30 ERA, 141.0 IP, 78 K’s, 1.00 WHIP) for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch. Ed Bailey reached on an error and drove in a run to give us the lead in the top of the first, with a Wally Post RBI single adding on. Williams was riding high until the bottom of the seventh, when Lee Thomas hit a two-run triple that was quickly followed by the go-ahead when Thomas scored off a sac-fly by Yogi Berra to give New York a 3-2 lead. Freddie Burdette came out in the bottom of the eighth and gave up two more, and we wound up losing the first game 5-3. Williams took the loss, falling to 6-7 with a 3.81 ERA, allowing seven hits and three runs with five strikeouts and no walks. We matched them on hits, 10-10, led by Wally Post who had four hits and two RBIs. But we’ve struggled all year to score late-innings runs when the momentum shifts, this game proving to be no different.

Chuck Stobbs (7-2, 4.24 ERA, 97.2 IP, 42 K’s, 1.27 WHIP) pitched in game two, facing Harvey Haddix (6-4, 4.14 ERA, 91.1 IP, 49 K’s, 1.35 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the fourth with a solo homer by Ernie Banks, just his 17th of the season, and we added on in the fifth with RBI singles by Willie Davis and Minnie Minoso. Raul Puig took over in the bottom of the seventh still leading by a pair, but the Yanks got another run back in the bottom of the inning and kept this one way too close for comfort considering our inability to score runs late. Paul LaPalme took over in the bottom of the eighth, holding tough to our slim lead, and he got three quick outs in the ninth as well as we managed to escape with a 3-2 win, splitting the series. Stobbs improved to 8-2 with a 4.08 ERA, allowing five hits, a walk and a run with three strikeouts in his six innings, while Puig got his eighth hold and LaPalme his third save despite being outhit by the Yankees 8-7. Only Jim Pagliaroni (a hit and a walk) got on base twice for us, Willie Davis leading our offense with a hit, a run and an RBI alongside Banks with his homer.

We’re off tomorrow and then play three in Boston (48-43), three in Washington (42-48) to end the month, and three in Baltimore (48-46) before we return to Chicago for two weeks of home games. We remain three games back of the Yankees, with a two-game lead on Cleveland and a three-game lead on Boston.

July 26, 1960: Jack Kralick (10-7, 1.62 ERA, 144.0 IP, 75 K’s, 0.94 WHIP) pitched against George Brunet (8-6, 3.72 ERA, 138.0 IP, 82 K’s, 1.34 WHIP). This one was a back and forth battle through the early innings, but we took the upper hand in the top of the sixth when Bobby Morgan hit a two-run single to put us up by a run. We added two more off a Willie Davis single, and went into the bottom of the sixth leading suddenly 5-2. Wally Post had an RBI double and Piersall hit a sac-fly to add on two runs in the top of the seventh, and Kralick had himself another complete game as we won this one 7-2. Kralick improved to 11-7 with a 1.65 ERA, allowing four hits, two walks and two runs with five strikeouts. We outhit Boston 11-4, led by Bobby Morgan with two hits, a run and three RBIs.

July 27, 1960: Jim O’Toole (10-2, 2.45 ERA, 117.2 IP, 66 K’s, 1.02 WHIP) pitched against Frank Baumann (9-6, 3.13 ERA, 126.2 IP, 52 K’s, 1.32 WHIP), and we didn’t waste a minute, taking the lead in the top of the first with an RBI single by Wally Post and a wild pitch later as Aparicio stood at the plate that scored Bailey from third. O’Toole lasted through nine innings but gave up runs in the eighth and ninth that tied the score and forced us into extra innings. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the 10th still knotted up at 2-2, and Puig came out in the 11th, but in the bottom of the 12th inning the Red Sox got their run across when we couldn’t -- with two outs, Henry Chiti hit an RBI single to score Bob Allison and we lost the game 3-2 after leading 2-0 for the first seven frames. Puig took the loss, pitching 1.2 innings with three hits, two walks, a run and a strikeout as he fell to 0-1 with a 2.88 ERA through 34.1 innings this year. Meanwhile, O’Toole had the bad luck of lasting nine innings but allowing six hits, four walks and two earned runs that tied us up in the first place. Boston outhit our team 10-7, Post leading the way with two hits and an RBI, his 65th of the season.

July 28, 1960: Billy Pierce (9-4, 3.07 ERA, 123.0 IP, 68 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) pitched against Bob Kuzawa (3-12, 4.98 ERA, 97.2 IP, 62 K’s, 1.47 WHIP), and once again we took an early lead, thanks to an RBI single by Banks and a two-run double by Piersall in the top of the first inning. Piersall stayed hot, hitting a two-run homer in the top of the third to add on, and we added another pair in the fifth to extend the lead to 7-1. Pierce got shelled in the bottom of the eighth, however, getting Boston back within a pair, with LaPalme taking over with no outs and empty bases after back to back homers by Bob Allison (three runs) and Ron Hansen (solo). In the bottom of the ninth LaPalme gave up two runs via back to back singles by Frank Robinson and Bob Allison, and just like that we’d blown a 7-1 lead and were headed for extras. Dick Drott took over in the bottom of the 10th inning, and they walked it off with a sac-fly by Donn Clendenon that scored Whitey Herzog as we lost 8-7. How can a team be this good and this bad at the same time? Pierce can’t bitch -- he allowed 11 hits with five strikeouts and five earned runs, all his runs coming off that pair of homers in the eighth ... he’d only thrown 70 pitches through seven innings, there was no earthly reason to feel we needed to pull him with a six-run lead in hand. LaPalme got stuck with the blown save and Drott the loss, but he’s the one who let the momentum shift. They outhit us 15-12, our team led by Bailey, who had three hits, a walk and a run scored, and by Jim Piersall, who had two hits, a walk, two runs and four RBIs.

The trade deadline is three days away, but we’re getting nothing but terrible pointless offers, and I’m not going to blow things up over our inconsistency this season. I think we have the makings of a juggernaut here on the south side, and patience is a virtue.

July 29, 1960: Stan Williams (6-7, 3.81 ERA, 106.1 IP, 76 K’s, 1.08 WHIP) pitched against Bill Stafford (8-7, 4.99 ERA, 124.1 IP, 62 K’s, 1.48 WHIP) as we took this thing on the road to Washington. Williams lasted six innings, but in the bottom of the sixth the Senators took the lead with a Whitey Lockman homer, and we brought out Merrill Silver in the bottom of the seventh. He had a great seventh inning, and we should have replaced him in the eighth, but didn’t ... and by the time we got another arm warmed up, he’d given up four more runs to turn this one into a rout. That’s on me, this season’s starting to drive me a bit crazy ... Raul Puig came out to mop it up, and we lost badly 5-0. Williams’ six inning start was wasted (seven hits, two walks, three strikeouts, one run) as he fell to 6-8 with a 3.69 ERA, our bullpen and our offense unable to bail him out ... we were outhit 10-4, led by no one ... four batters got on base with a hit, all off singles, and nobody even got into scoring position the entire night.

July 30, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (8-2, 4.08 ERA, 103.2 IP, 45 K’s, 1.25 WHIP) pitched against Gerald Neal (4-7, 5.43 ERA, 104.1 IP, 66 K’s, 1.75 WHIP) in game two against the Senators, and we opened in the top of the first with a triple by Davis and a double by Piersall to take a quick lead minutes into the game. Jim Pagliaroni hit an RBI single and Sherm Lollar added another to give us a 3-0 lead halfway through the inning, and Ernie Banks reached on an error in the second inning to add another run via Willie Davis. Daryl Spencer hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth to give us a five run lead, but Gus Triandos answered with a solo blast of his own in the bottom of the fifth to get Washington on the board. Bill Fischer took over for us in the bottom of the seventh with a man on second and one out, still leading by four runs, and he gave up the run and then quickly loaded the bases thanks to two singles and a walk. Harmon Killebrew hit into a fielder’s choice with the out coming at home plate, but a passed ball let another run in ... Jesus! Freddie Burdette took over with Killebrew now on second and Triandos on third, and then BOOM ... Jim Gilliam hit a three-run f---ing homer and we’d blown another huge lead to trail 6-5.

Raul Puig took over in the bottom of the eighth, and Jim Pagliaroni hit a solo homer to tie it up in the top of the ninth. Burdette got us into extra innings, and Bob Porterfield took over in the bottom of the 10th, getting us through three scoreless innings off 50 pitches ... but we couldn’t get a run to score! Paul LaPalme came out to pitch in the bottom of the 13th inning, but this gmae seemed destined to tax our bullpen to the limit ... four innings later we were heading into the top of the 17th still locked in with a 6-6 score, with LaPalme at 42 pitches himself. With two outs in the top of the 17th they brought out their last reliever, Jim Grimm, and Willie Davis hit a single that drove Daryl Spencer into scoring position ... Piersall took the count full, but then grounded out to the shortstop, who made an easy throw to first, another wasted opportunity. But LaPalme kept us in it, getting out of the bottom of the inning off a blink-and-you-missed it double play, and this game felt like it might never end. We stranded a pair in the bottom of the 18th to get out of there with the score still tied and LaPlante at 68 pitches ... it was going to have to go to Dick Drott in the bottom of the next inning regardless. But something happened in the top of the 19th inning ... we got HOT! LaPalme hit the go-ahead RBI single to drive in Sherm Lollar, and Jim Piersall hit a two-run single to give us a three-run lead! Dick Drott took over in the bottom of the inning, however, and they got a leadoff homer from Willie McCovey ... followed by back to back walks. Desperate now, we brought out Merrill Silver on short rest, and he came through in a truly clutch situation, getting two flyouts and a pop-up he caught himself as we held on to escape with a 9-7 win.

It took us 19 innings, but we got it done. Paul LaPalme pitched a six-inning relief effort to get the win, improving to 3-2 with a 2.32 ERA thanks to six hits and a walk, no runs scoring, and Silver got his second save as he improved his ERA to 9.82 through his third appearance. We outhit Washington 18-15, led by Willie Davis with four hits and three runs scored, while Pagliaroni added three hits, a walk, two runs and two RBIs. I hate that it took us that long to cement the win, but I am glad that this game went down as a victory and not another blown lead.

July 31, 1960: Luckily for our worn out bullpen it was a start day for Jack Kralick (11-7, 1.65 ERA, 153.0 IP, 80 K’s, 0.93 WHIP), who faced off against Camilo Pascual (8-12, 4.08 ERA, 158.2 IP, 108 K’s, 1.27 WHIP). Washington drew first blood in the bottom of the fourth when Elston Howard and Bobby Wine each hit into fielder’s choices with runs scoring from third both times. But in the top of the fifth we hit back, scoring off an RBI double by Morgan, and tying the score with an RBI single by Gene Stephens, taking the lead with a two-run single by Davis! We kept the rally going, adding two more runs off a double by Minoso and another thanks to a sac-fly by Banks, getting into the bottom of the inning with a 7-2 lead that had the Senators’ fans reeling. Kralick got into trouble in the bottom of the seventh, however, and with the lead at 7-5, two outs, men on first and second, Freddie Burdette came out to prevent another complete collapse. We got a run back in the top of the ninth as Daryl Spencer grounded into a double play that let Morgan score from third, and Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the inning ... he protected the three-run lead and we held on to win 8-5! Kralick survived to keep his win, improving to 12-7 with a 1.80 ERA, having allowed eight hits, three walks and five runs, four of which were earned, blowing his 19-game streak of quality starts in the process. Burdette held his fourth game, and Fischer saved his third, the two combining for 2.1 innings with a hit, a walk and a strikeout. We narrowly outhit them 10-9, led by Minoso who had two hits, a run and two RBIs.

We took the series from Washington two games to one, ending the month of July with a 55-44 record, four games back of the 58-39 Yankees, but a game and a half up on Boston (53-45) and 3.5 games up on both Cleveland (50-46) and Baltimore (52-48). We have 56 games left on our schedule and it’s still anyone’s pennant to win.

jksander · 12-18-2024, 01:16 PM

August 1, 1960: Jim O’Toole (10-2, 2.42 ERA, 126.2 IP, 73 K’s, 1.03 WHIP) got the first start of August for us, facing Baltimore’s Eli Grba (5-5, 3.07 ERA, 108.1 IP, 45 K’s, 1.42 WHIP), the first of three games we have to play before we can return to Chicago and friendlier climes. We took the lead in the top of the second, thanks to a Gene Stephens RBI single, and we added on three more in the top of the third thanks to a two-run single by Jim Piersall and a sac-fly by Stephens. O’Toole got into some trouble in the bottom of the seventh, giving up two runs and forcing us to hand the ball to Paul LaPalme with one out and men on first and second ... but LaPalme did his job and got us out of the inning with the lead still 4-2. He got us through the eighth as well, and we brought out Merrill Silver to close in the ninth still leading by a pair. He gave up a run but held on to the lead, and we were able to get out of there with a 4-3 win to keep our win streak going. O’Toole improved to 11-2 with a 2.44 ERA, allowing eight hits, two walks and two earned runs in his 6.1 innings, while LaPalme picked up a hold and Silver his third save. We matched them 10 against 10 on hits, led by Piersall who had two hits, a run and two RBIs.

Unfortunately, Wally Post has been diagnosed with a deep bone bruise on his kneecap, and will miss the next five weeks (and most likely the rest of the season barring good luck on his rehab). I’m calling up Anthony Washington, age 23, from AAA to join our outfield in his place ... he’s hit .312/.385/.545 so far this year with 19 doubles, 10 triples, 11 homers and 58 RBIs, good for 2.7 WAR at that level ... he has never played a major league game, so this will be a chance to see how he handles big league pressure in a pennant race. Gene Stephens will take over as our starter in left field, with Washington playing as extra depth behind Tommy Harper but with the ability to also get games playing at first base and in right field.

August 2, 1960: Billy Pierce (9-4, 3.25 ERA, 130.0 IP, 73 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) started against Ted Wills (2-2, 5.40 ERA, 23.1 IP, 18 K’s, 1.16 WHIP). We hit them hard in the top of the second ... back to back solo homers from Minoso and Stephens, followed by an RBI single from Willie Davis to give us a 3-0 lead. In the top of the fifth we added on with a two-run double by Ernie Banks, and then the game became a total rout thanks to a five-run sixth inning that gave us a double-digit lead, including Anthony Washington’s first homer, a two-run blast that was also his first major league hit! We didn’t hold the shutout, but Pierce completed the game and we won handily 10-1, outhtting the Orioles 14-7. Pierce improved to 10-4 with a 3.11 ERA, giving them seven hits and five walks, striking out eight and holding them to the one earned run on 142 pitches. Banks led the way with three hits, a run and two RBIs, while the rookie Washington got himself two hits, a run and three RBIs in his debut.

August 3, 1960: Stan Williams (6-8, 3.69 ERA, 112.1 IP, 77 K’s, 1.10 WHIP) pitched in our final game of this road stretch, going up against Gaylord Perry (11-8, 3.43 ERA, 162.2 IP, 108 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) who is quickly becoming the best young pitcher in baseball. Jim Piersall gave us a lead in the top of the third with an RBI single, but Baltimore took the lead back in the bottom of the inning with a two-run single by Bill Sarni, and they took control with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Dick Drott took over in long relief in the bottom of the sixth still trailing 5-1, and we got a pair back in the seventh thanks to a double by Spencer and a single from Drott himself. He pitched brilliantly in the bottom of the inning, and we got an RBI single from Harper, scored off a walk by Spencer and took the lead when Harper scored of a sac fly by Drott to give us a 6-5 lead! Drott got us three outs off flyballs in the eighth to keep his hot streak going, and we pummelled them in the ninth with five more runs to ensure this would not be a game we’d lose on a fluke play. Drott stayed out there to finish an incredible performance, and though he gave up a pair in the bottom of the ninth we held tough to win 11-7. This is what we thought he could do when we traded for him from the south side, Drott improving to 3-5 with a 4.97 ERA thanks to four innings with two hits, two walks, two runs and two strikeouts ... he threw 52 pitches and didn’t flinch as we outscored them 10-2 during his time on the mound. We outhit Baltimore 14-9 to complete the sweep, led by Daryl Spencer with ftwo hits, a walk, a run and four RBIs, but Drott also contributed as a hitter, picking up three RBIs off a hit and a sac-fly.

The Yankees have stayed hot, so we’ve only picked up a single game against them, now trailing three games in the pennant chase, though we’ve put some distance between ourselves and the Red Sox (54-47) who now trail us by 3.5 games. We’ve picked up legendary pitcher Warren Hacker, now a reliever at 35, for his incredible control, which will allow us to send Silver and his 9.6+ ERA back to AAA for further seasoning. Hacker became a free agent last fall and signed a one year deal with Pittsburgh ($25,400) in February ... but they waived him this week despite a 4-5 record, 3.24 ERA and 1.15 WHIP through 86 innings as a starter / long reliever. We’re planning to use him as a high leverage stopper during the home stretch of this season as we continue to work at improving our overall bullpen performance.

We’ll finish the week out with five games in four days against the Senators (48-51), followed by three against New York (60-40) and four against Kansas City (41-60), ending this home stretch August 15-16 with a pair against Detroit (39-60). Our five-game winning streak is the best currently in the AL, and we have a chance to flip the script completely on New York if we play things right.

August 4, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (8-2, 4.01 ERA, 110.0 IP, 49 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) pitched against Gerald Neal (4-7, 5.43 ERA, 111.0 IP, 71 K’s, 1.77 WHIP) in front of nearly 28,000 fans on a cool, clear Friday evening. Minnie Minoso put us into the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, and a Gene Stephens triple added a run in the bottom of the sixth. Raul Puig took over with the two run lead in the top of the seventh, giving them a run back on two outs with an RBI single by Tommy Davis, but escaping with the lead still safe. Piersall hit an RBI double for us to get the lead back up to two heading into the top of the eighth, with Freddie Burdette taking over on the mound. Ernie Banks hit a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to add on, and Warren Hacker took over in the top of the ninth, shutting them down nicely as we won 4-1. Stobbs improved to 9-2 with six innings and just three hits, two walks and a strikeout against him. Puig got his ninth hold with a two hit, two walk, one one, two strikeout inning, and Burdette got his fifth hold by allowing a hit with a strikeout in his inning. Hacker picked up his first save and didn’t even allow a baserunner, striking out a batter with his superb control ... and we outhit Washington 11-6 in the process, led by Banks with two hits, two runs, an RBI and his 19th homer of the year.

August 5, 1960: You can tell fans are excited for this team, as we drew 34,230 fans today for a Saturday afternoon game, Jack Kralick (12-7, 1.80 ERA, 159.2 IP, 81 K’s, 0.96 WHIP) facing Camilo Pascual (8-13, 4.32 ERA, 164.2 IP, 111 K’s, 1.28 WHIP). And they got themselves a hell of a duel ... Washington picked up an RBI single from Eddie Yost in the top of the fifth and an RBI single from Daryl Robertson in the top of the ninth, but in the bottom of the inning Willie Davis tagged up and scored off a Gene Stephens sac-fly and we tied it up with an RBI single by Morgan to send this one into extra innings! In the bottom of the 12th, Daryl Spencer hit a flyball triple but was injured as he took third, so we brought in Tommy Harper to pinch run ... with one out, Jack Kralick hit one into deep center, walking this off to cap the best game of his career as we won 3-2! Kralick pitched all 12 innings, allowing nine hits, three walks and two runs with three strikeouts as he improved to 13-7 with a 1.78 ERA in his 21st start of the season, also picking up the game-winning RBI ... this 25-year-old can do it all! Each team had nine hits, Bobby Morgan leading the way with two hits, a walk and an RBI.

Spencer wrenched his back and will be day to day for a week, so we’re putting him on the IL and moving Morgan to second and Banks over to third while he recovers. Tomorrow we play our third game of the series, ahead of a Sunday doubleheader in a rare five-game set, and then can focus on New York, as we’ve narrowed the gap between our two teams to just a game and a half.

August 6, 1960: For the first time all year we broke the 40,000 attendance mark for this afternoon’s game, as we continue to have some of the best fans in baseball! Jim O’Toole (11-2, 2.44 ERA, 133.0 IP, 76 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) pitched against Bob Veale (8-6, 4.68 ERA, 115.1 IP, 85 K’s, 1.58 WHIP), and Ed Bailey hit a groundball single that drove in a run for us in the bottom of the first, hitting another in the bottom of the third to give us a two-run lead! Willie Davis hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth that was immediately followed by an RBI double by Piersall, and these fans were definitely getting loud. Raul Puig took over in the top of the eighth, still leading by four runs, and he pitched the rest of the way as we stumped the Senators 6-1. O’Toole improved to 12-2 with a 2.31 ERA, lasting seven innings with a hit and eight K’s, while Puig pitched two innings with three hits and one earned run. We outhit Washington 10-4, led by Bailey who had three hits and two RBIs.

August 7, 1960: Our first game of the doubleheader didn’t quite match yesterday’s attendance, but we still were close to 40,000 as this place is really starting to become a family destination. Billy Pierce (10-4, 3.11 ERA, 139.0 IP, 81 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Harold Larned (7-9, 3.76 ERA, 127.0 IP, 85 K’s, 1.28 WHIP), and the offense came quickly for both teams early ... Elston Howard hit a two-run single for the Senators in the top of the first, but we answered with a leadoff triple by Davis, an RBI triple by Piersall and an RBI double by Banks to tie the score, Gene Stephens putting us into the lead with an RBI single and Morgan adding on by grounding into a run-scoring double play to put us up 4-2 after a single inning. Davis hit a solo homer in the bottom of the second, and with a 5-3 lead we brought out Paul LaPalme to pitch in the top of the seventh. He gave up a run and Freddie Burdette took over in the eighth as we held a slim one-run advantage. He got us through the final two frames, however, and we won this one 5-4, keeping the winning streak going! We’re peaking at the right time and doing what it takes to win. Pierce improved to 11-4 with a 3.17 ERA, allowing six hits, a walk and three earned runs with three strikeouts in his six innings. LaPalme gave up our only other run, allowing two hits and two walks with a strikeout, and Burdette saved his ninth game with just a hit through two innings and 28 pitches. We outhit Washington 12-9, led by Willie Davis who had four hits, two runs and an RBI thanks to his 11th homer of the year ... he’s hitting .305 through 102 games and is becoming a leadoff king out there, the fans loving every at-bat.

The Yankees lost this afternoon at Kansas City, so the afternoon game flipped us into first place in the AL, half a game up on the Yankees, who have now lost three in a row to the formerly last-place Athletics! We now have the chance to extend our winning streak into double-digits this evening, with Dick Drott (3-5, 4 SV, 4.97 ERA, 38.0 IP, 24 K’s, 1.76 WHIP) pitching in a bullpen start against Bill Stafford (10-7, 4.49 ERA, 140.1 IP, 74 K’s, 1.39 WHIP), who is pitching on short rest for the beleagured Senators. Drott took full advantage of the opportunity, getting us into the seventh inning with the game still scoreless. He stayed out in the top of the seventh with rain starting to fall, getting a pair of flyouts before Ty Cline hit a triple to give them a scoring opportunity. Bobby Knoop hit a bloop single into left and drove in the go-ahead, and we went to Bob Porterfield in the bullpen, getting us into the stretch trailing 1-0. But we wore their pitcher out in the bottom of the inning, loading the bags with three walks in a row, Ed Bailey coming in to pinch hit for Porterfield with two outs, with Fischer and Hacker warming in the bullpen. When Jim Grimm walked Bailey to drive in the tying run, this place shook like there was an earthquake! Willie Davis grounded out to second in a fielder’s choice, but we’d tied it back up with Hacker coming out to pitch. Unfortunately the first batter he faced, Gus Triandos, hit a solo homer, marring an otherwise solid inning for the veteran, who pitched the remainder of what was a 2-1 loss for us, snapping the streak as we head to New York. Drott pitched 6.2 innings with four hits, five strikeouts and an earned run, but Hacker took the loss, pitching two innings with two hits and an earned run ... he’s 0-1 now with a 3.00 ERA in his first two bullpen appearances.

We’ll go into the New York series tied up with the Yankees, our 62-45 record against their 60-43 record. And with just seven games left against them head-to-head (five at home, two on the road) now is the time to make a statement if we’ve got one in us, with our team leading the season series eight games to seven.

August 8, 1960: We drew another record crowd, this time 40,700 strong, for the opening game of the Yankees series which pitted Stan Williams (6-8, 3.91 ERA, 117.1 IP, 80 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) against Billy O’Dell (12-7, 2.12 ERA, 165.1 IP, 94 K’s, 0.96 WHIP) -- not bad at all for a Monday night 8:05 p.m. first pitch! New York took the lead in the first inning with a solo homer from Bobby Richardson, adding a run off a single by Mantle that coupled with an E8 throwing error. An RBI single by Davis in the bottom of the third got us on the board, but the Yankees answered with a two-run sixth, both coming off Mantle’s bat and a towering slam. Williams looked resigned to heading out of the game with a loss hanging over his head, but our bats woke up fiercely in the bottom of the sixth -- Jim Piersall hit a two-run homer to erase the effects of Mantle’s, Gene Stephens tied it up with an RBI single, and then Luis Aparicio hit a two-run double to shoot us into the lead with Raul Puig coming out to protect it in the seventh. Tommy Harper hit a two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh, and LaPalme came out to pitch with one out and a man on first in the top of the eighth but with a four-run cushion. We added three in the bottom of the eighth to make the win a foregone conclusion, and LaPalme shut them down in the ninth to make it real as we won big 11-4! Williams got the win, improving to 7-8 with a 4.01 ERA, allowing eight hits and four runs with five strikeouts in his six innings. Puig got his 10th hold with a one hit effort through 1.1 innings, and LaPalme pitched 1.2 innings without a baserunner as we outhit the Yankees 16-9! Piersall led the way with four hits, two runs and four RBIs, while Jim Pagliaroni hit three times for three runs.

August 9, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (9-2, 3.80 ERA, 116.0 IP, 50 K’s, 1.21 WHIP) pitched against Harvey Haddix (7-5, 4.03 ERA, 109.1 IP, 60 K’s, 1.30 WHIP) in game two of the series, and after trading runs in the bottom of the first / top of the second, we took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with RBI singles from Stobbs and Aparicio to go into the fifth inning up 3-1. Bill Fischer took over in the top of the seventh leading 6-2, and in the bottom of the inning we added on seven runs to turn this into a complete beatdown, leading 13-4 heading into the eighth! Freddie Burdette pitched the last two innings and we destroyed the Yankees as we won 15-4. Stobbs improved to 10-2 with a 3.76 ERA, allowing six hits, four walks and two earned runs with three strikeouts in his six innings. We outhit New York 15-8, led by Ernie Banks who hit three times for a run and five RBIs, including his 20th homer, a grand slam in the seventh!

August 10, 1960: It’s the final game in this series against the Yankees, and we drew another huge crowd out to watch as Jack Kralick (13-7, 1.78 ERA, 171.2 IP, 84 K’s, 0.96 WHIP) pitched against Vinegar Bend Mizell (15-4, 2.84 ERA, 161.2 IP, 74 K’s, 1.21 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the third thanks to an Ernie Banks RBI single. And when the bats took the rest of the afternoon off, Kralick said fine, hold my beer, and he pitched the rest of the way to beat the Yanks 1-0! Each team notched five hits, but Kralick was able to improve to 14-7 thanks to a complete game where he only walked one batter while striking out six, and he did it on 92 pitches! Banks led the way with two hits and an RBI, while Willie Davis had two hits and the run scored. And just like that we’ve swept the Yankees and taken a three-game lead in the AL, our biggest lead in the division since late April!

We’re off tomorrow and will then finish this home stretch out with four games in three days against Kansas City (), followed by a pair against Detroit (). We’ll then hit the road until September 2nd, a stretch where we’ll play everyone BUT the Tigers. So far this year we’ve brought 1.6 million fans through the turnstiles, leading the majors by a wide margin and the best home attendance we’ve had since 1955 (which was the most we’d had since they started tracking that kind of thing). At this point we’re on track to break 2.3 million in total attendance for the year, which would be absolutely wild.

August 12, 1960: Jim O’Toole (12-2, 2.31 ERA, 140.0 IP, 84 K’s, 1.01 WHIP) pitched against Eddie Fischer (2-1, 5.17 ERA, 31.1 IP, 16 K’s, 1.37 WHIP) in our first of four games against the Athletics. Ernie Banks hit a homer in the bottom of the third to score two and put us into the lead, and though the A’s tied it up with a pair of RBI doubles in the top of the fourth, we answered with an RBI triple by Luis Aparicio, an RBI single by Willie Davis, and then Banks hit his second two-run blast of the day to put us up 6-2! Minoso scored a run off a sac-fly by Aparicio in the bottom of the fifth, and we added on three more in the sixth as the rout was on. We won with ease, 10-3, as O’Toole pitched a complete game. He improved to 13-2 with a 2.36 ERA, allowing nine hits, a walk and three earned runs with seven strikeouts, and we outhit them 12-9, led by Banks who had threehits, three runs and four RBIs.

August 13, 1960: The Yankees are in an absolute freefall, having lost seven in a row after a 7-1 loss to Washington last night! Billy Pierce (11-4, 3.17 ERA, 145.0 IP, 84 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) took the mound on a warm rainy afternoon against the A’s starter Glenn McMinn (6-9, 4.53 ERA, 135.0 IP, 53 K’s, 1.44 WHIP), and even the weather couldn’t keep our fans from making this the rowdiest stadium in baseball. Ed Bailey hit a two-run blast to give us a lead in the bottom of the first, but the game stayed close throughout. Leading 3-2 in the top of the seventh, we brought out Raul Puig to pitch and Burdette took the ball in the eighth, the score unchanged. We held tough from there as Burdette closed it out, beating the Athletics 3-2. Pierce pitched six innings with six hits, a walk, two runs (one earned) and seven strikeouts. Puig held his 11th game, and Burdette got his 10th save with a two-inning effort ... no baserunners, one strikeout. He now holds a 2.30 ERA through 58.2 innings. They outhit us 8-6, but we walked three times to their one, so it was a wash ... Bailey led the way with two hits, a run and two RBIs thanks to his homer in the first inning.

August 14, 1960: Another day, another doubleheader as we close out the series against the A’s. Stan Williams (7-8, 4.01 ERA, 123.1 IP, 85 K’s, 1.16 WHP) pitched in game one against Bob Blaylock (7-8, 3.38 ERA, 119.2 IP, 50 K’s, 1.38 WHIP), and this time Ed Bailey opened things up with a THREE-RUN homer in the bottom of the first to get things started -- that’s his 17th homer of the season! Paul LaPalme took over in the top of the seventh leading by four runs, and Bill Fischer took over in the eighth leading by seven. But he got his ass whipped in that inning, giving up four runs with just one out, so Dick Drott took over to hold their one runner at first and keep this lead from completely evaporating. He got two quick outs to do that, sending us into the botom of the eighth still leading 7-4, and we got three runs back in that inning to erase any doubts that we had this game under control. Drott got us through the final frame and we won 10-5. We outhit Kansas City 12-6, led by Luis Aparicio with three hits and three runs. Williams took the win, improving to 8-8 with a 3.83 ERA, allowing just two hits with three walks and four strikeouts in his six innings. Fischer tried to blow the game, but Drott held on for his fifth save with one hit, one walk, one strikeout and one run in his 1.2 innings.

Chuck Stobbs (10-2, 3.76 ERA, 122.0 IP, 53 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) pitched against Milt Pappas (9-14, 3.77 ERA, 179.0 IP, 108 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) in the second game of the afternoon, and after three innings we were in a 3-3 tie after spoting the A’s a 2-1 lead in the first inning (Ernie Banks got us tied up in the third with a two-run homer, his 23rd of the year). Banks batted in an RBI single to give us the lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring himself moments later with Jim Pagliaroni hitting into a fielder’s choice. Stobbs got us through five innings but threw a ton of pitches to get there, so with a 4-5 lead heading into the sixth we brought out Paul LaPalme. Raul Puig took over in the seventh and Freddie Burdette in the eighth, and that’s when the A’s struck back, tying the score at 5-5 with an RBI single by Ron Fairly ... that’s just Burdette’s third blown save in 41 bullpen appearances this season. Warren Hacker came out to pitch in the top of the ninth still all tied up, and he kept us that way through the 10th inning ... in the bottom of the 10th Gene Stephens hit an RBI single to walk it off as Willie Davis came around to score from second off an E8 error and we completed the sweep, winning 6-5! Hacker got the win, improving to 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA since the waiver pick up, pitching his two innings with just a hit and a walk. They outhit us 13-9, but Banks dominated with two hits, a walk, two runs and three RBIs, and Minnie Minoso hit twice, walked three times and had an RBI.

We remain four games up on the rest of the Yankees and control our own destiny, heading into a two-game set against the last-place Tigers, who hold a 42-68 record as we sit at 69-45. This upcoming road stretch will be our last brutal one, after which we’ll play most of our September games here in Chicago.

August 15, 1960: Jack Kralick (14-7, 1.69 ERA, 180.2 IP, 90 K’s, 0.95 WHIP) pitched against Detroit’s Tom Brewer (6-9, 4.79 ERA, 150.1 IP, 77 K’s, 1.38 WHIP), and we took the lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Willie Davis. Minoso hit an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to add a run, but they got that one back in the top of the eighth with an RBI single by Bobby Avila. Still up by a run in the top of the ninth, we trusted Kralick to finish what he started, and he got three quick outs as we held on to the 2-1 win. He allowed just six hits, a walk and the one run with six strikeouts, throwing 126 pitches as he improved to 15-7, his ERA now at 1.66 through nearly 190 innings. We outhit Detroit 7-6, led by Minoso who had two hits, a walk and an RBI.

August 16, 1960: We’ve won 17 of our last 20 games as we’ve hit our stride following a rough return from the All Star break, and we’ve followed one nine game winning streak with a brand-new eight-game one! Jim O’Toole (13-2, 2.36 ERA, 149.0 IP, 91 K’s, 1.01 WHIP) pitched today against Don Choate (5-7, 3.92 ERA, 131.0 IP, 75 K’s, 1.36 WHIP), and our bats got going in the bottom of the second, taking the lead with a single by Aparicio and adding on when Jim Piersall hit a two-run single to make it 3-0 White Sox! Dick Drott took over with a five-run lead, one out and a man on second in the top of the seventh, and he got out of the inning with just the one runner scoring, blowing the shutout but getting us into the eighth with a four run lead. He stayed out to complete the remainder of the game and we won with ease 5-1, extending the streak to nine games ahead of this upcoming two and a half week road trip. O’Toole improved to 14-2 with a 2.32 ERA, allowing four hits and an earned run with eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings, while Drott pitched 2.2 innings with two hits and a strikeout. We outhit Detroit again 7-6, led this time by Piersall who hit three times with two runs batted in.

Tomorrow we start a road trip that will send us to Cleveland (59-52) for two games, Kansas City (46-68) for three, New York (64-48) for two, Boston (63-51) for two, Baltimore (55-60) for two and Washington (54-60) for two. There are no doubleheaders in this stretch, and we have days off scheduled on the 22nd, the 25th and on September 1st. We currently hold a five game lead on the Yankees, who lead Boston by two and Cleveland by 4.5, and our magic number is now at 36. Over in the NL, Milwaukee (70-42) holds a 3.5 game lead over Los Angeles (65-44), with Pittsburgh (59-56, 12.5 games back) the only other team in the division with a winning record. Their magic number is at 41.

jksander · 12-18-2024, 04:48 PM

August 17, 1960: We’re starting Warren Hacker (5-6, 3.16 ERA, 91.0 IP, 33 K’s, 1.13 WHIP) today in game one against Cleveland’s Dave Sisler (1-1, 3.70 ERA, 24.1 IP, 11 K’s, 1.36 WHIP) to keep our starters fully rested for the remainder of this road trip. Cleveland got on the board first with a solo homer by Norm Cash in the bottom of the third, but Ed Bailey tied it up in the top of the fourth off a sac-fly by Bobby Morgan, and Aparicio batted in the go-ahead with a single. They tied it back up in the bottom of the fifth with two outs when Roger Maris hit a solo homer off Hacker his 38th of the season ... But Minoso scored off a passed ball in the top of the sixth to get us back into the lead, and we brought out Freddie Burdette to protect the slim lead. We added on a pair in the top of the seventh off a two-run single by Bailey, and Burdette stayed out there after throwing just eight pitches in the sixth. Unfortunately for us, he gave up two runs with just one out, and we brought out Puig with a man on to get us out of the inning with the lead still safe, a job he handled admirably. He got us through the eighth and then, with two outs in the ninth, Norm Cash hit a solo homer to tie it up ... but he got us into extras by getting a pop-out to right off the bat of Felipe Alou. Paul LaPalme took over in the bottom of the 10th and the Guardians walked it off with a double by Stan Lopata, taking the win from us 6-5 and snapping our streak at nine. LaPalme took the loss, falling to 3-3 with a 2.37 ERA, getting just one out with a hit, a walk and a run scoring. Each team had 11 hits, ours led by Ed Bailey, who had three hits, a run and two RBIs.

August 18, 1960: Billy Pierce (12-4, 3.10 ERA, 151.0 IP, 91 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Dave Wegerek (2-7, 5.69 ERA, 80.2 IP, 46 K’s, 1.59 WHIP) in game two against the Guardians, and this time they came out fighting hard ... they outscored us 4-0 in the first two innings, and though we clawed our way back a run at a time over the next four frames, we still trailed 5-3 heading into the top of the seventh. But Ernie Banks hit a two-run homer to tie it up, and Gene Stephens hit an RBI single to put us into the lead, and we brought out Dick Drott to pitch with one out and no one on in the bottom of the seventh. Jim Piersall hit an RBI single to add on in the eighth, but in the bottom of the inning lead-off hitter Gordy Coleman hit a solo blast out of right to get them back within a run. Paul LaPalme took over with one out and a man on first, but a wild pitch and an RBI double by Norm Siebern quickly had us tied up, and with two outs Norm Cash hit an RBI single to push them back into the lead. We tied it again in the top of the ninth with a sac-fly by Gene Stephens that allowed Ernie Banks to score from third, and Bob Porterfield came out in the bottom of the inning, getting two outs but letting them take the game on a walk-off hit by Ray Boone ... we lost our second one-run game in a row, 9-8, LaPalme getting his second blown save of the year while Porterfield took the loss. He fell to 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA, allowing three hits and a run while notching one strikeout. We outhit them 16-13, led by Bailey with three hits, a walk, three runs and two RBIs, while Piersall added four hits, a run and an RBI ... but our bullpen gave up four runs, just two of them earned. You can’t let a team like Cleveland stay with you if you expect to win in their house.

We lost a bit of ground with the Yankees and now lead by four games, with Boston six games back and Cleveland now right there with 7.5 games to make up. We need to recover with our three games in Kansas City, because the Yankees and Red Sox then await. And they aren’t going to go down without a fight when we’re on their fields.

August 19, 1960: Stan Williams (8-8, 3.83 ERA, 129.1 IP, 89 K’s, 1.14 WHIP) got the start in game one against KC’s Milt Pappas (9-14, 3.91 ERA, 184.0 IP, 110 K’s, 1.43 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the fifth with a three-run homer by Ernie Banks, his 25th of the season, and Tommy Harper hit a homer in the top of the seventh that gave us some breathing room up 4-2. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning, and he got us the rest of the way as we held tough to beat the Athletics 5-2. Williams improved to 9-8 with a 3.79 ERA, allowing four hits, a walk and two earned runs with five strikeouts in his six innings, while Burdette saved his 11th game, allowing just two hits with three strikeouts in his three innings. We outhit Kansas City 10-6, led by Banks, who hit three times with two runs and three RBIs.

August 20, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (10-2, 3.90 ERA, 127.0 IP, 56 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) pitched against Bob Blaylock (7-9, 3.52 ERA, 125.1 IP, 52 K’s, 1.43 WHIP). This one was dominated by the A’s, who took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. We got our only run in the top of the fifth, when Anthony Washington hit an RBI double that scored Tommy Harper, and we lost this one 3-1 in the end. Stobbs pitched a complete game, allowing nine hits with two walks and three strikeouts -- and all three of his runs were unearned, so though he fell to 10-3, his ERA improved to 3.67. We were outhit 9-5, our bats led by Washington with his hit and RBI, and by Earl Bailey who hit twice to nowhere.

August 21, 1960: Jack Kralick (15-7, 1.66 ERA, 189.2 IP, 96 K’s, 0.94 WHIP) pitched against Ron Negray (4-12, 4.01 ERA, 155.0 IP, 81 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) in the final game of the series in Kansas City, and once again our bats completely took the day off. KC took the lead in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer from Phil Jahntze and never looked back. They added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn’t necessary, they won easily 3-0. Kralick pitched a complete game five hitter, with one walk, three strikeouts and three earned runs, but he was outdueled by Negray who only allowed three ... with two walks, four strikeouts and no runs. Willie Davis got on base twice with two walks, but was the only player on our team to do so. This was just ugly, and the 8,100 fans of the 49-win A’s definitely let us hear about it on a sloppy rainy day.

We better get our acts together, because the Yankees are now within three games of us ahead of the pair we face at Yankee Stadium. Cleveland is now within six, with the Red Sox just seven back, and even the Baltimore Orioles are playing like they want to get back in the race, fighting to reach .500 while sitting 12.5 games out. Nobody in the AL is mathematically eliminated yet, as our magic number sits at 33.

August 23, 1960: Since starting the month on a 16-1 tear, we’ve lost four of our last five and, therefore, have missed out on a chance to really put this pennant race to bed. And with eight games left on this road trip against four teams, we really need to get our offense going or this could get ugly quickly. Jim O’Toole (14-2, 2.32 ERA, 155.1 IP, 99 K’s, 1.00 WHIP) took the mound in game one of two against the Yankees, facing Billy O’Dell (14-8, 2.28 ERA, 189.1 IP, 107 K”s, 0.99 WHIP) in a pretty evenly matched battle of hurlers. And we took a quick lead in the top of the first, when Ed Bailey hit a three-run bomb out of left to put us up 3-0, giving him 20 dingers this season! Warren Hacker came out with two outs and Mantle on first in the bottom of the seventh to protect a 3-1 lead, and it didn’t go well at all ... Mantle scored off an RBI single by Lee Thomas, who advanced to third on a single by Preston Ward, who took second as the trailing runner. But Hacker got the out that counted ... Tony Kubek popped out harmlessly to center and we escaped the inning still leading the Yanks by a run. Hacker got two quick outs in the bottom of the eighth, but leadoff man Bobby Held got a single through the gap into left, and we brought out Raul Puig with Woodie Held coming up to the plate, Al Kaline waiting on deck. He’d have to wait for the ninth inning, as Held popped out to left and we kept the one run lead heading into the top of the frame. Anthony Washington led off in the top of the ninth, getting a single into left field, and Jim Pagliaroni pinch-hit for Hacker, walking to push Washington into scoring position. Unfortunately Washington tried to pull off a double steal ... he was out at third, but Pagliaroni advanced to second, making it to third as Willie Davis took first by beating out an infield hit that bounced perfectly out of the reach of their reliever. But we couldn’t buy an insurance run, as Piersall and Banks popped out harmlessly to bring Freddie Burdette up to pitch still leading by one. He did his job perfectly, however, getting three outs off nine pitches as we held the Yankees back to win 3-2! O’Toole improved to 15-2 with a 2.33 ERA, allowing six hits, four walks, four strikeouts and two earned runs through 6.2 innings ... Hacker and Puig held the lead, and Burdette picked up his 12th save without allowing a single baserunner. We outhit them 10-9, led by Bailey with two hits, a run and three RBIs.

August 24, 1960: Billy Pierce (12-4, 3.26 ERA, 157.1 IP, 97 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) pitched in the second game against the Yankees, facing Mike McCormick (8-11, 3.49 ERA, 183.0 IP, 125 K’s, 1.30 WHIP). And the Yankees were quick to punch at us, getting an RBI single from Lee Thomas and a two-run homer from Dick Kryhoski in the bottom of the second to take a quick 3-0 lead. But we got on the board with an RBI triple by Stephens in the top of the fifth, and he scored when Morgan hit a single to put us within a run ... and in the top of the eighth we took full control. Minoso hit an RBI single to tie it, and Gene Stephens put us into the lead with a single, but we weren’t done yet; Aparicio hit a sac-fly that scored Minoso, Pierce hit an RBI single, and Willie Davis singled in Morgan from second base to put us up by four! With the lead secure, Pierce stayed out and completed his game as we won 7-3 to complete the mini-sweep! Pierce improved to 13-4, allowing nine hits, two walks and three earned runs with seven strikeouts, keeping his ERA at 3.25. We outhit them 10-9, led by Stephens, who had two hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI.

August 26, 1960: Stan Williams (9-8, 3.79 ERA, 135.1 IP, 94 K’s, 1.13 WHIP) pitched against Boston’s Frank Baumann (11-9, 3.33 ERA, 164.2 IP, 70 K’s, 1.28 WHIP), and Williams got shelled in the bottom of the sixth, taking this game from a 1-1 tie to a 5-1 drubbing without getting an out. Bill Fischer took over with a man on second, and he gave up three more runs before getting us out of the inning, at which point this game was essentially a loss on the books. Fischer took one for the team and stayed out the rest of the way, and we went on to lose 9-1. Williams fell to 9-9 with a 4.04 ERA, allowing seven hits and a walk with six earned runs, striking out five in his five innings. Fischer, meanwhile, allowed three hits and three runs (two earned) with a walk and two strikeouts in his three innings, as we were outhit 10-4. Our only run came via a wild pitch in the top of the fifth, which allowed Gene Stephens to score ... so nobody on offense looked good at all in this one.

August 27, 1960: Jack Kralick (15-8, 1.73 ERA, 197.2 IP, 99 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) pitched against William Dial (2-1, 6.10 ERA, 38.1 IP, 27 K’s, 1.83 WHIP) in game two against the Red Sox, and we took the lead in the top of the second with a two-run homer by Gene Stephens, just his second of the year ... but Boston answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning, our boys tying it up in the top of the fifth with a sac-fly by Bailey that scored Piersall from third. We got the lead back in the top of the seventh thanks to a Banks solo homer, and Kralick held it through the eighth inning, with the intention of handing it off to Burdette in the ninth. But in the top of the ninth we got two-run homers from both Ernie Banks and Bobby Morgan, so with a five-run lead in hand Kralick stayed out to complete his game as we won 8-3! Kralick improved to 16-8 with a 1.79 ERA, allowing them to hit just five times with three walks, striking out five with three earned runs. We outhit Boston 13-5, led by Banks who had two homers en route to three hits, two runs and three RBIs. He has heated up lately and now has 27 homers, and a .535 slugging percentage. It’s still his worst hitting year since 1955, but he’s been doing what he needs to do, happy to have finally found his permanent home here on the south side.

We have four games left on this road trip: two in Baltimore (63-62, 12 GB) and two in Washington (59-65, 15.5 GB). We currently hold a four-game lead on New York, with Cleveland (66-56, 7.5 GB) and Boston (66-58, 8.5 GB) still threatening but not making the inroads they’d need to in order to come back fully into this race. Over in the NL, Milwaukee (74-47) now holds a 4.5 game lead on the Dodgers, at 69-51. There are only three head to head games remaining for the two teams, and they’re all being played in Milwaukee, so they do truly control their destiny at this point, as do we.

August 28, 1960: Jim O’Toole (15-2, 2.33 ERA, 162.0 IP, 103 K’s, 1.02 WHIP) pitched against Billy Loes (6-4, 2 SV, 3.79 ERA, 59.1 IP, 25 K’s, 1.28 WHIP) in Baltimore, and it wasn’t our night to shine. They took the lead in the bottom of the first, off a single by Joe Adcock, and we tied it in the top of the fourth when Ed Bailey scored off a hit into a fielder’s choice by Bobby Morgan. But in the bottom of the sixth the Orioles got a triple from Adcock to take the lead, and he scored moments later when Wayne Causey reached on an error. We never recovered, losing this one 3-1. O’Toole took the loss, allowing six hits and a walk with three runs (two earned) in his seven innings, striking out seven, while Puig got us through the final frame with just a hit and a walk. We outhit them 9-7 but couldn’t make anything happen; Bailey led the way with two hits and a run scored.

August 29, 1960: Billy Pierce (13-4, 3.25 ERA, 166.1 IP, 104 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) pitched in game two against Baltimore, facing Gaylord Perry (15-9, 3.33 ERA, 205.2 IP, 134 K’s, 1.17 WHIP), their undisputed ace. We took the lead in the first and added on a pair in the top of the third, and for eight and a half innings this was our game to win. But in the bottom of the ninth, leading by a pair, we came out and completely melted down ... Billy Williams scored from third off a sac-fly by Curt Flood, and then with two outs and runners on second and third, Lenny Green hit a two-run single to walk it off as we lost 4-3. Pierce pitched a complete game seven hitter, but he allowed four walks and four earned runs, striking out five ... and most of the damage was in that final frame. We outhit them 8-7, led by Ernie Banks who had two hits and an RBI.

And just like that, we’ve opened the door to the Yankees who now only trail us by a pair. We still have a pair of head to head games against them on September 7-8 on our field, but this is going to be a dogfight to the very end.

August 30, 1960: We’ll finish the month of August out with a pair of games in Washington, and the fans are noticeably apathetic about their team at this point since the current Senators team is moving to Minneapolis-St. Paul in a few months, to be replaced by an expansion team ... talk about kicking the fans while they’re down. Still, I was impressed to see 10,000 diehards show up for game one of the series, with Stan Williams (9-9, 4.04 ERA, 140.1 IP, 99 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) pitching against Bob Veale (10-8, 4.56 ERA, 146.0 IP, 106 K’s, 1.58 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the second off an RBI single by Bobby Morgan, adding on a run in the top of the fourth when Morgan hit another RBI single. Williams got us through the sixth inning, and in the top of the seventh we took full control, capping a four-run inning with a two-run homer by Ernie Banks to take a six-run lead into the stretch. Paul LaPalme took over on the mound in the bottom of the inning, but he got destroyed for four runs himself, so Raul Puig had to bail him out with one out and a man on first, keeping the lead intact into the eighth and closing out the rest of the game himself as we held tough to win 6-4. Williams improved to 10-9 with a 3.87 ERA, allowing five hits with five strikeouts in his six innings, and Puig saved his sixth game of the year with 2.2 innings and just a walk and two strikeouts! We outhit the Senators 8-7, led by Morgan, who had two hits, two walks, a run and two RBIs.

Detroit (46-80) became the first team in either league to be mathematically eliminated from the postseason.

August 31, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (10-3, 3.67 ERA, 135.0 IP, 59 K’s, 1.27 WHIP) started against Harold Larned (9-12, 3.94 ERA, 155.1 IP, 101 K’s, 1.38 WHIP), and Washington dominated this one from the start, scoring five runs in the first three innings and leading 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh when we brought out Bob Porterfield. But though he gave up two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, we got three runs back in the top of the eighth (a sac-fly by Banks scoring one, followed by a two-run homer for Ed Bailey) and then three more in the top of the ninth, tying the game at 8-8 when Ernie Banks scored as Bobby Morgan took first on an E5 error! Freddie Burdette took over with one out and Bob Will on second in the bottom of the ninth, and he got pinch hitter Sandy Amoros to pop out to shallow right, bringing up Ty Cline who popped out to left ... time for extra innings, after trailing by six in the top of the eighth! Warren Hacker took over in the bottom of the 11th, and Bob Will led off with a double, advancing to third on a groundout to first by Bobby Knoop. Chuck Strange gronded one to second with an easy throw out to first base, and with Ty Cline once again at the plate with a chance to walk it off, we instead got a grounder to short and a throw out at first ... play on! We finally got into the lead in the top of the 13th inning, Ernie Banks scoring off a walk by Bobby Morgan, and Dick Drott took over for Hacker in the bottom of the inning, getting us out of a one-out, runners on the corners situation to win the game 9-8, saving Stobbs from taking a tough loss ... he’d given up 12 hits and six runs in six innings, but instead of the “L,” Hacker got the win and improved to 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA, allowing just one hit in his two innings, while Drott got his sixth save, allowing two hits but stranding both. Washington outhit us 21-16 and we still pulled this one out -- Bailey led the way with three hits, a walk, three runs and three RBIs, while Jim Piersall added three hits, two walks, two runs and an RBI.

We finished the month of August with a 22-8 record, giving us a 77-52 record with a month left to play. We still hold a tight two-game lead over the 73-52 Yankees, with Boston (70-58, 6.5 GB) and Cleveland (8.5 GB) still fighting for a chance. We open September with a four-game weekend series against Detroit (), followed by a pair in Kansas City (), two at home against New York () and two here against Baltimore (), with a single Sunday home game against Boston () rounding out the stretch before our next day off after tomorrow. We’ll then have just 14 games left over a much more relaxed 20-day stretch as the season winds to a close.

Roster expansion is also upon us, and just in time, as Wally Post is ready to come off the IL early, ensuring he’ll be eligilble for our playoff roster if we can keep holding the Yankees back. We’ve also decided to call up 26-year-old right fielder Willie Kirkland, 25-year-old closer Merrill Silver, and 23-year-old starter Fritz Ackley, who has a 16-3 record and a 4.02 ERA through 28 starts at AAA San Diego this year. To make room for Ackley on the 40-man roster we had to waive / DFA Ron Wells.

jksander · 12-18-2024, 09:55 PM

September 2, 1960: We’re back home again, this time for four games against the Tigers, who are now joined by Kansas City and Cincinnati among teams eliminated from playoff hopes, though that list is soon to grow much longer. And even with us facing the last place team, nearly 39,000 fnas packed this place to watch Jack Kralick (16-8, 1.79 ERA, 206.2 IP, 104 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) take on Don Choate (6-8, 3.74 ERA, 151.2 IP, 91 K’s, 1.35 WHIP). Kralick is among the frontrunners for this year’s Cy Young in the AL, but even pitching brilliantly wasn’t enough to get him a lead ... we went into the stretch knotted up at zero-all, and in the top of the eighth he finally cracked, letting Tony Curry hit a solo bomb out of right to put them up 1-0. Minnie Minoso hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to tie it up, and with Kralick at nearly 130 pitches, we brought Freddie Burdette out in the top of the ninth to try and hold them off. He got us into extra innings and then some, but with the bats staying largely silent, we had to bring out Raul Puig in the top of the 12th. Finally, in the bottom of the 12th inning, with one out and Aparicio on second base, Willie Davis hit a line drive single into right, allowing the run to score and getting us through with a 2-1 win. We outhit them 10-7, Puig getting the win to improve to 1-1 with a 2.49 ERA through 50.2 innings in relief for us since we snagged him from Philly. Luis Aparicio led the way with two hits and a run scored, while Piersall and Tommy Harper each had two hits as well.

September 3, 1960: Jim O’Toole (15-3, 2.34 ERA, 169.2 IP, 110 K’s, 1.02 WHIP) pitched against Don Rowe (10-8, 4.37 ERA, 131.2 IP, 81 K’s, 1.45 WHIP), who has gone 8-4 since getting traded from the Cubs to the Tigers back in mid-July. Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, and by the time Bill Fischer took over with two outs and a man on third in the top of the sixth, we were in a 5-3 hole. He got that out we needed, and in the bottom of the sixth we got an RBI single from Fischer and then tied the score with a wild pitch that drove in Aparicio! But they got the run back in the top of the seventh off an RBI single by Tony Curry, and we brought out Raul Puig to pitch with one out and Curry on first, getting out of the inning without further damage. Warren Hacker took over in the top of the eighth still trailing by a run, and in the ninth he gave up two more runs to dig us a hole that was impossible to escape as we lost 8-5. Fischer took the loss, falling to 1-3 while getting just two outs, allowing two hits, a walk and an earned run to keep his ERA at 7.77 ... but they outhit us 19-8, so they’d dominated us pretty thoroughly even before we let the win slip away. Tommy Harper led the way with a hit, a walk and two RBIs.

September 4, 1960: We have two doubleheaders left this season -- today’s against Detroit, and one in two weeks, against Detroit on the road. Billy Pierce (13-5, 3.29 ERA, 175.0 IP, 109 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) pitched against Tom Brewer (7-12, 4.91 ERA, 174.0 IP, 87 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) in game one, and this one was another pointed battle ... we built a 2-0 lead after four innings, but they got runs in the fifth and eighth to tie it up 2-2 as we came up to hit in the bottom of the inning. Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the ninth, but yet again we went into extra innings because of an inability to drive in runs late. Paul LaPalme took over in the 11th, giving up the go-ahead run with a two-out RBI single by Bob Tillman, and we lost this one in a heartbreaker 3-2. LaPalme took the loss, falling to 3-4 with a 3.16 ERA, allowing three hits and a run while striking out a pair. We outhit them 9-8, but not when it counted; Davis had three hits to lead the team, but it was Morgan who at least managed two hits and an RBI who gave us some offense.

In game two, Stan Williams (10-9, 3.87 ERA, 146.1 IP, 104 K’s, 1.13 WHIP) got the start, facing Ben Flowers (0-0, 10.12 ERA, 5.1 IP, 5 K’s, 2.25 WHIP) in his first-ever start, coming on short rest to boot. We scored runs in each of the first four innings, and yet we still held just a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth, and Williams was already wearing out ... he’s not developing the stamina we’d like to see from him after four years in the majors. He did just enough to get through the fifth inning, and in the bottom of the frame we picked up a pair with a double by Pagliaroni. Merrill Silver took over in the top of the sixth, and Puig came in for the seventh still leading by a pair. He gave up another run, however, and it was Dick Drott who took over in the eighth, now clinging to a one-run lead against a team that has proved to be incredibly tenacious in front of their home crowd. Drott pitched the eighth and ninth, and with one out Tom Heller hit an RBI single that, aided by an E9 error, allowed Reno Bertola to score the tying run. Damn it! Just like that, after we went three up and three down, we were right back in extra innings for the second time today and for the third time in four games over a three day stretch ... our bullpen is taking a beating! Bob Porterfield came out to pitch in the top of the 10th, and he did fine in the first two innings he pitched, only to get completely reamed in the top of the 12th. Paul LaPalme came out there with two outs and a man on third and we’d given up five runs in a flash. That was it for us, as we lost 11-6, barely putting up a fight in the bottom of the inning as our entire team was bushed. Porterfield took the loss, pitching 2.2 innings with five hits, two walks and five earned runs, losing them all on a two-run single by Don Mincher, a sac-fly by John Orsino, and a two-run double by Tom Haller. They outhit us 17-11, which is unacceptable, Willie Davis leading as the leadoff man with three hits, a run and two doubles.

We’ve now lost three in a row and let the lowly Tigers whip us three games to one, but we’re still a game and a half up on the Yankees. We’ve got two games on the road in Kansas City () up next, followed by two PIVOTAL games against the Yankees at home that will be our last chance to go head to head against our most heated rival.

September 5, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (10-3, 3.89 ERA, 141.0 IP, 63 K’s, 1.32 WHIP) got the start in game one against Kansas City, going up against Ron Negray (5-13, 3.56 ERA, 179.2 IP, 93 K’s, 1.19 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the first with an Ernie Banks groundout that scored Davis from third, and then we let Kansas City take control, tying it up in the second, taking the lead in the fourth and adding on a pair in the fifth to hold a 4-1 lead on us as we came up to hit in the top of the sixth. LaPalme came out in the bottom of the sixth and we got a run back in the top of the seventh thanks to a Jim Pagliaroni solo homer, just his third of the year. Bill Fischer pitched the seventh inning, and we brought Dick Drott out in the eighth still trailing by a pair. He gave up a run and we made a rally attempt in the ninth but came up just short, losing this one 5-4 as our struggles continue. Surely we can’t get this close to the pennant just to let it slip out of our hands? Stobbs fell to 10-4 with five innings allowing seven hits and four earned runs, walking four against a single strikeout, and we were outhit 11-6. Wally Post hit three times and scored a run, driving in two, but there wasn’t a lot else to cheer about.

The Yankees beat Boston 3-1 and 3-2 in a Monday doubleheader, so with our loss today we’re now tied up, with one game left in Kansas City before a two-game showdown on our field that may decide the whole thing.

September 6, 1960: Fitz Ackley made his major league debut today against Kansas City’s Bob Blaylock (8-10, 3.53 ERA, 137.2 IP, 57 K’s, 1.42 WHIP). They scored in the bottom of the first off a solo homer by Roy Sievers, but Wally Post answered with one of his own in the top of the fourth to tie it up. Ackley got us through the sixth with icewater in his veins, stranding a pair of runners to keep us tied, and Raul Puig took over in the bottom of the seventh still knotted up at 1-1. Puig has pitched a heavy load, playing in four games in the last five days, and he handled himself well in his inning this afternoon, Warren Hacker taking over for him in the bottom of the eighth with the score still deadlocked. He gave up a leadoff hit to Roy Sievers that turned out to be a solo bomb out of left, and the A’s fans went nuts as they took the 2-1 lead. We came up to hit in the top of the ninth trailing by two, and it stayed that way ... our bats came up dead yet again and we lost 3-1, limping into the New York series looking like a team that is October gunshy. Hacker took the loss, falling to 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA, allowing a hit, four walks and two earned runs in his inning, spoiling what was a great night for Ackley, who debuted with six innings and just two hits, two walks and a run, striking out two ... he threw 78 pitches, and we didn’t want to risk blowing his arm out or we’d have kept him out longer to preserve the pen. Each team had five hits, ours led by Post who had two with a run and an RBI.

We’ll go into the two game set against the Yankees needing both wins badly ... they now have a 77-54 record to our 78-57 record, so they lead us by a game even with us having played four more games than them. We’ve lost five in a row and seven of our last 10, so if there’s going to be a time to course correct, now would be it. If there’s one thing working in our favor, it’s that we’ve gone 13-7 against them in our first 20 matchups. But can we get two more when it REALLY counts?

September 7, 1960: Jack Kralick (16-8, 1.76 ERA, 214.2 IP, 110 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) got the start against Billy O’Dell (16-9, 2.29 ERA, 212.2 IP, 125 K’s, 1.00 WHIP) in a battle of Cy Young contenders. And I know it’s a mid-week series, but I’m disappointed in our fans for not showing up for this battle ... only 34,000 fans checked in this evening, when we needed every voice we could get to help keep New York off balance. Ernie Banks hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third to put us on the board, and Minnie Minoso added some insurance in the bottom of the fifth with a solo bomb of his own. When our bats stayed silent the rest of the way, we had the tough choice with a two-run lead, and chose to trust Kralick, with Freddie Burdette warmed up and ready in the wings. Kaline led off with a pop-out to left for our first out. Mantle singled into left, but then Woodie Held hit into a fantastic double play and we got out of there with a 2-0 shutout! Kralick had a defining win with this six-hit shutout, walking two and striking out five as he improved his ERA to 1.69 and his record to 17-8. We only outhit the Yankees 7-6, but Banks did his part and then some, with three hits, a run and an RBI including homer number 29.

September 8, 1960: Jim O’Toole (15-3, 2.52 ERA, 174.2 IP, 113 K’s, 1.06 WHIP) went up against John Buzhardt (4-10, 4.85 ERA, 161.1 IP, 87 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) who has won all four of his games since coming to New York from Cincinnati in a June trade. We took the lead in the bottom of the first, when Banks grounded out but allowed Davis to score from third. So New York answered with a sac-fly by Gus Bell in the top of the second that let Mantle tag up and score to tie it up. We retook the lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI triple by Willie Davis and an RBI single by Minnie Minoso, and a four-run fourth helped us to pull away. We brought out Paul LaPalme to mop up with a seven-run lead in the top of the eighth, and he did the job -- we beat the Yankees 9-2 and our World Series hopes are now very much alive. O’Toole improved to 16-3 with a 2.53 ERA, allowing just three hits, three walks and two runs with seven strikeouts in his seven innings. We outhit them 12-6, led by Willie Davis with three hits, a walk, three runs and two RBIs. He’s hit .311 to this point in the season, with 66 RBIs off 30 doubles, 12 triples and 11 homers, stealing 30 bases to boot!

September 9, 1960: Back in the lead in the AL by a game over New York, we now have two games against Baltimore (70-66, 9.5 games back) and then our final game of the year against Boston () on Sunday (they currently sit at 73-63, 6.5 games back of us). The Orioles’ record looks worse because of their 12-21 record in May, but since then they’re 51-40 and have a team that’s tough to beat, though we’ve won 12 out of 20. Billy Pierce (13-5, 3.25 ERA, 183.0 IP, 115 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Dave Wickersham (14-12, 3.95 ERA, 200.2 IP, 118 K’s, 1.36 WHIP), and the game was tightly fought until the bottom of the fifth when we got ourselves the lead off an RBI single by Pierce himself. That broke the stalemate, but they answered quickly when Dave Wikersham scored off a balk call, which got us so pissed off we went out and got an RBI single from Banks and an RBI single from Jim Piersall to take a 3-1 lead into the top of the seventh. Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the eighth with a 3-2 lead, and he let the tying run across in the top of the ninth with two outs, as Jerry Lumpe hit an RBI single. Raul Puig took over with two outs and the man on and got us out of there without losing the lead, but we couldn’t hit and therefore faced yet another extra innings affair. But this time we did get the run through when it mattered, Jim Pagliaroni walking it off with a two-out single that, coupled with an E9 error, allowed Ernie Banks to score from second, giving us a 4-3 win. Puig improved to 2-1 with the win, allowing just one hit with a strikeout as his ERA improved to 2.47. They outhit us 9-8, but Pierce helped with his bat as well, hitting two times with an RBI while Minoso added two hits and a run scored.

September 10, 1960: Stan Williams (10-9, 3.87 ERA, 151.1 IP, 108 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) pitched against Ted Wills (3-5, 4.85 ERA, 65.0 IP, 45 K’s, 1.18 WHIP) in the second game against the Orioles, and we took the lead in the bottom of the second with a solo homer by Wally Post, his 18th of the season. This one looked like it was going to go sideways when Lenny Green hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to put Baltimore up 3-2, but in the bottom of the ninth, with no outs and the bases loaded, Jim Piersall walked in the tying run and Bobby Morgan reached first on an E5 error to truly “walk this one off,” as we stunned Baltimore 4-3. Stan Williams pitched a complete game, allowing 11 hits, four walks and three earned runs with five strikeouts, surprising everyone by throwing 136 pitches as we made our comeback ... maybe the endurance is there, he just needs to keep building his confidence! He’s now 11-9 with a 3.82 ERA, tying his career wins record set just last year. Baltimore outhit us 11-6, and they had four walks to our two, and we still found ways to win. Wally Post led the way with two hits, a walk, a run and an RBI, while Willie Davis hit twice with a run and an RBI.

September 11, 1960: Boston has had our number so far this year, beating us 12 times in 21 tries, with today our final chance to get one back. Chuck Stobbs (10-4, 4.01 ERA, 146.0 IP, 64 K’s, 1.35 WHIP) pitched against Ray Herbert (11-6, 2.98 ERA, 127.0 IP, 57 K’s, 1.22 WHIP), and we took an early lead with a groundout by Minoso that scored Willie Davis plus a solo homer from Banks in the bottom of the first, giving him his 30th of the year. But from there Boston kicked our asses completely and thoroughly, scoring two runs in the second, three in the fourth and three in the sixth to take a commanding lead. Dick Drott took over in the top of the seventh and got through the rest with just one more run scoring, but it didn’t matter ... we lost 9-4 and looked completely hapless out there. I’m not sure what it is about Boston that makes us forget how to both hit and pitch, but it’s there and it’s real. Stobbs fell to 10-5 with a six inning 12 hit effort, striking out three but allowing eight runs, six of which were earned. It’s hard to make up for that no matter what ... and they outhit us 14-11 as well, which made it worse. Willie Davis led the way with three hits and a run scored.

We now hold a 2.5 game lead on the Yankees, and will get more days off in the coming weeks while they’ll have to make up ground with much less room for error on their end (including six games against the Red Sox, who are only 5.5 games out of first and three games back of the Yanks). This week we’re off tomorrow, then play Washington (64-75) for two games, take Thursday off, and play four against Detroit (56-84) on the road. We then have two days off, play Kansas City (55-82) at home for a single game, get the next day off, and travel to Cleveland (74-64) for three. We’ll then play our final four games at home ... September 27 against Detroit, and September 30 through October 2 against Cleveland ... fourteen games, seven at home and seven on the road, and our magic number is 14.

For this final stretch of games we’re going to switch to a four-man rotation of Kralick, O’Toole, Pierce and Williams. Stobbs and Ackley will step into middle relief roles for the remainder of the season.

jksander · 12-20-2024, 06:01 AM

September 13, 1960: Jack Kralick (17-8, 1.69 ERA, 223.2 IP, 115 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) got the start against Washington’s Bill Stafford (12-9, 4.07 ERA, 185.2 IP, 100 K’s, 1.36 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI single by Morgan, an RBI double by Aparicio and and RBI single by Kralick, and Kralick was in control until he wasn’t -- top of the eighth, two outs, a man on and he’d given up three runs in the inning out of nowhere. Freddie Burdette took over and got us out of the inning with the lead still safe, and he was efficient in the ninth to keep it that way so we’d escape with a 6-5 win in this one. Kralick owes him a beer or two later ... he got through 7.2 innings with seven hits and six strikeouts, but those five earned runs could have rung him up. Instead he keeps the win, improving to 18-8 with a 1.83 ERA, thanks to Burdette’s 1.1 inning save, with one hit off 21 pitches. We outhit Washington 11-8, led by Minoso who had four hits, a walk and a run scored.

September 14, 1960: Jim O’Toole (16-3, 2.53 ERA, 181.2 IP, 120 K’s, 1.06 WHIP) pitched against Washington’s Bob Veale (10-9, 4.56 ERA, 165.2 IP, 118 K’s, 1.56 WHIP). We traded runs in the opening innings ... they got a homer off the bat of Tommy Davis in the top of the first, but we tied it with an RBI single by Sherm Lollar in the bottom of the second and it stayed that way, tied 1-1, with Freddie Burdette taking over on the mound in the top of the eighth. Amazingly, in the bottom of the ninth, we avoided the annoyance of another extra innings game by walking it off with a leadoff solo homer by Wally Post, winning this one 2-1! Burdette got the win this time, improving to 2-4 with a 2.23 ERA, striking out four batters in his two innings.

September 16, 1960: Heading into this four game set on the road in Detroit, we’ve now got an 84-58 record and a 3.5 game lead on New York, and our magic number is down to 11. Milwaukee, meanwhile, is now much closer to clinching ... theirs is at six, and they have an 8.5 game lead on the Dodgers now with an 87-54 record, so they’re in a good position to cinch as early as Monday, since LA is in the midst of a brutal 15-day road trip that still has six games remaining, while Milwaukee gets to host the lowly Phillies this weekend. We matched Billy Pierce (13-5, 3.22 ERA, 190.0 IP, 119 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) against Detroit’s Bob Shaw (10-13, 3.89 ERA, 210.2 IP, 91 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) in today’s game, and it went badly from the get-go ... Pierce gave up four runs off 28 first-inning pitches to spot them a 4-0 lead, and our bats took the day off as the game got worse quickly. Fritz Ackley took over in the sixth inning trailing by seven runs in what was still a shutout, and we lost 10-3, only managing to score in the ninth inning when there was absolutely no chance of us winning it. Pierce had his worst game of the year, 10 hits and seven runs (six earned) with two walks and a strikeout in five innings, and we were outhit 15-9, led by Post (two hits and a run) and Piersall (two hits and an RBI).

September 17, 1960: Stan Williams (11-9, 3.82 ERA, 160.1 IP, 113 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) pitched against Don Choate (7-8, 3.47 ERA, 173.2 IP, 103 K’s, 1.27 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the second with a solo homer by Jim Piersall, and Minoso hit an RBI single in the fifth to extend the lead to 2-0. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the eighth with the lead unchanged, and we held on to win this one 2-0. Williams improved to 12-9, allowing four hits, a walk and five strikeouts in his seven shutout innings. Burdette then saved his 14th game of the year with a strikeout and no baserunners in two innings, giving him a 2.17 ERA through 78.2 innings over 51 appearances. We outht the Tigers 6-4, led by Piersall, who had two hits including his homer, with a run and an RBI as a result.

September 18, 1960: It’s the final doubleheader of the season! Jack Kralick (18-8, 1.83 ERA, 231.1 IP, 121 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) pitched in game one against Dan Rowe (12-9, 4.32 ERA, 150.0 IP, 90 K’s, 1.42 WHIP), and we took control quickly in this one, leading 6-0 after just four innings. Kralick pitched another of his patented complete games as we blasted the Tigers 9-2, outhitting them 13-8 behind a three hit, one run two RBI game from Piersall and two hits, three runs and an RBI from Willie Davis. Kralick improved to 19-8 with a 1.83 ERA, allowing eight hits and two runs with seven strikeouts and no free passes.

Jim O’Toole (16-3, 2.48 ERA, 188.2 IP, 123 K’s, 1.04 WHIP) started game two, facing Howie Reed (5-5, 3.66 ERA, 123.0 IP, 55 K’s, 1.21 WHIP). We took a quick lead in the top of the first, Piersall hitting into a fielder’s choice that scored Davis, followed a few minutes later by a walk by Morgan that scored another. O’Toole, who was pitching on short rest, got us through five innings with a 4-1 lead, so Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the sixth. Raul Puig took over with one out and clean bases in the bottom of the eighth after a two-run Don Mincher homer cut the lead to one, but he was able to get us out of there with the lead still safe. But Detroit, with two outs against them in the bottom of the ninth, walked it off with a two-run homer from Tom Tresh, stealing this one from us 5-4. Puig blew his fourth save of the year and fell to 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA, allowing three hits and two runs with a strikeout in his 1.1 innings. We were outhit 9-5, Piersall leading the way with three hits, a run and an RBI.

September 21, 1960: Billy Pierce (13-6, 3.42 ERA, 195.0 IP, 120 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) faced Milt Pappas (12-17, 3.80 ERA, 232.0 IP, 146 K’s, 1.36 WHIP) in our final game against Kansas City in front of 35,000 fans here at Comiskey. It was never close after we picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run Piersall homer that put us up 3-1. Pierce pitched the rest of the way without looking back and we won with ease, crushing the A’s 6-1, despite only outhitting them 7-5. Pierce improved to 14-6 with a 3.31 ERA, allowing just five hits and a run with six strikeouts. Willie Davis led the way with two hits, two runs and an RBI.

Milwaukee has clinched the pennant in the National League at 90-56, holding a nine game lead on the Dodgers who are 81-65 and nine games back, just two and a half up on Pittsburgh as the two fight over who will finish second. Our magic number after tonight’s win is now six, with a three-game lead over New York. Boston is now eliminated at nine games back and in fourth place, with Cleveland (78-67, 8 GB) on the verge of elimination. We have three games against them on the road this weekend as they’ll try to hold it off for just a little longer.

September 23, 1960: Jack Kralick (19-8, 1.83 ERA, 240.1 IP, 128 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) has already shattered every career record except innings pitched, a mark he set at 253.2 innings back in 1957, and 141 K’s, a mark he set in 1958. Tonight was his 30th start, and he went up against Tom Cheney (11-13, 3.42 ERA, 200.0 IP, 132 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) with a chance to knock Cleveland out for the season. We took the lead with a walk by Ernie Banks in the top of the third, but they tied us with a Vic Power triple in the bottom of the seventh, taking the lead with a sac-fly by Red Wilson that scored Power. We tied it with a solo homer by Banks in the top of the eighth, his 31st of the year, but they walked it off in the bottom of the ninth with an RBI single by Red Wilson to steal this one 3-2. Kralick will likely get one more start to try for 20 wins, but he has to settle for the loss tonight, falling to 19-9 with 8.2 innings and five hits, three walks, three runs and six strikeouts. This was a real duel, each team notching just five hits, ours led by Banks with a hit, a walk, a run and two RBIs.

September 24, 1960: Jim O’Toole (16-3, 2.42 ERA, 193.2 IP, 125 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) faced Cleveland’s Robin Roberts (8-11, 4.55 ERA, 194.0 IP, 72 K’s, 1.25 WHIP). Tied at 1-1 after trading runs in the first two innings, we took the lead in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by Luis Aparicio, adding on with a trio of RBI singles from O’Toole, Minoso and Banks to lead 5-1 midway through the inning. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the seventh leading 5-3, and he let them climb all the way back in, getting a run in the seventh off an RBI single by Manny Jiminez, tying it in the eighth with a Felipe Alou single that was aided by an E8 error. Chuck Stobbs came out to pitch in the botom of the ninth hoping he could get us into extra innings, but they walked it off for the second day in a row, Jerry Kindall hitting an RBI single to steal another close game from us 6-5. That’s been the real bane of our year ... an 8-10 record in extra innings, and a 23-27 record in one-inning games. Burdette blew the save, his fifth, and Stobbs fell to 10-6 with two hits and a run in his inning, no outs. What a bummer. We’d matched them 13-13 on hits, led by Minoso with three hits and an RBI, and by Banks with two hits and an RBI.

Cleveland has climbed back to within six games ahead of tomorrow’s final game of the series ... but New York remains three games back, and our magic number is now just four. Can we gut through and get the wins we need to clinch?

September 25, 1960: Stan Williams (12-9, 3.66 ERA, 167.1 IP, 118 K’s, 1.17 WHIP) pitched against Cleveland’s Don Nottebart (6-5, 2.92 ERA, 80.0 IP, 35 K’s, 1.23 WHIP). We broke open the game in the top of the fifth, Bobby Morgan scoring off a wild pitch and then Willie Davis hitting a run scoring triple, getting us quickly up by a pair. Ernie Banks hit a two-run double and then came around to score off a groundout by Ed Bailey, giving us a 5-0 lead midway through the inning. Williams stayed out to complete the shutout, beating Cleveland 8-0 as we outhit them 11-4! This was Williams’ third complete game shutout as a major leaguer, and his first four-hitter since 1958, when he pitched a four hitter against Baltimore with five strikeouts and two walks. Tonight he had five strikeouts against three walks, and improved his ERA to 3.47 through 176.1 innings. Ernie Banks led the way with two hits, a run and two RBIs, and the win officially eliminated Cleveland from pennant contention.

We have four games left, all at home -- Tuesday against Detroit, followed by three games this weekend against Cleveland. Going into the Detroit game our magic number is just two, and the Yankees trail us by 3.5 games. We can clinch with two wins, a win and a Yankees loss, or two Yankees losses. They have two games left against Washington on the road, followed by three games at home against Boston to end their season.

September 27, 1960: Billy Pierce (14-6, 3.31 ERA, 204.0 IP, 126 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) pitched against Don Choate (7-9, 3.48 ERA, 175.2 IP, 104 K’s, 1.28 WHIP). We took control of this one early, with Freddie Burdette taking over in the top of the seventh leading 6-3. From there we put them away easily, Burdette pitching the remainder of the game as we won 9-3! Pierce finished his season with a 15-6 record and a 3.34 ERA, getting through six innings tonight with four hits, two walks, a strikeout and three earned runs. Burdette picked up his 15th save, pitching three innings with two hits, a walk and three strikeouts, giving him a 2.30 ERA through 86 innings ... and we outhit them 14-6, led by Willie Davis with three hits and two runs scored, while Ernie Banks added two hits, two runs and two RBIs.

September 28, 1960: The Yankees beat Washington 13-6 last night, so we were watching today to see if they’d lose so we could just get clinching over with. Unfortunately it wasn’t gonna be that easy ... New York blasted the Senators 12-3, so the season comes down to two series: our 89-62 White Sox at home against the 82-69 Cleveland Guardians, and the 86-65 Yankees hosting the 81-70 Boston Red Sox. Our magic number is one, and just three games separate us ... so we need to win a game. If not, if we get swept and the Yankees sweep the Red Sox, we’d have to face a one-game playoff. This is insane!

September 30, 1960: We had a crowd of 46,941 on hand this evening at first pitch, under cloudy skies with temps in the low 50s, making this really feel like the start of fall baseball. Jack Kralick (19-9, 1.88 ERA, 249.0 IP, 134 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) pitched against Cleveland’s Don Nottebart (6-6, 3.28 ERA, 85.0 IP, 38 K’s, 1.25 WHIP). Cleveland took the lead in the top of the first, with a Norm Cash solo homer ... but we tied it up with a sac-fly by Minoso in the bottom of the fourth, and Wally Post hit an RBI single to put us into the lead heading into the fifth inning. Willie Davis hit a solo homer to extend the lead in the bottom of the fifth, and we pulled Kralick to rest him, sending Chuck Stobbs out to pitch in the top of the sixth leading 3-1. He did well in the sixth but gave up three runs in the seventh, Ray Boone driving in the go-ahead with a sac-fly that scored Red Wilson to put them up 4-3. We tied it in the bottom of the inning with another RBI by Davis, this time a single, and Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the eighth. But this one just wouldn’t end ... tied 2-2 heading into the top of the 10th, Burdette stayed out and got dinged as Roger Maris doubled in a run to give them a lead ... and that’s where it stayed. We went down quietly and lost this one 5-4. Stobbs blew the save, his first, and Burdette took the loss, falling to 2-5 after three innings with one hit, one walk, one run and four strikeouts. We outhit them 10-9, but again not when it counted ... Davis led the way with three hits, two runs and two RBIs.

The Yankees’ game was postponed to tomorrow due to inclement weather, so they’ll play two against Boston tomorrow ... our fate remains in our hands.

October 1, 1960: Jim O’Toole (16-3, 2.48 ERA, 199.2 IP, 127 K’s, 1.08 WHIP) started game two against the Guardians, facing Robin Roberts (8-11, 4.70 ERA, 197.1 IP, 72 K’s, 1.29 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Minoso, who later scored himself off a passed ball to put us up 2-0. But they answered with RBI singles by Roy McMillan and Red Wilson to tie it up in the top of the fourth, as all our blood pressures started rising. Thankfully our bats blasted back in the bottom of the inning, taking the lead with an RBI single by Morgan and adding on with a two-run homer from Luis Aparicio, his first homer of the season! Raul Puig took over with a two-run lead in the top of the eighth, and we made it official with a four run inning in the bottom half, crushing the Guardians 9-3 as we officially clinched the American League pennant! O’Toole will finish his season with a 17-3 record and 2.53 ERA, and he was excellent today with just six hits, three walks and three earned runs with four strikeouts. Puig got his seventh save, pitching two innings with a hit, a walk and a strikeout, and we outhit Cleveland 10-7 -- Aparicio led the way with two hits, both homers, for two runs and six RBIs!

I’m damned glad we won today, because otherwise tomorrow would have been UNBEARABLE ... the Yankees shut out Boston in game one of their doubleheader, winning 9-0, and then took game two in 12 innings by a 3-2 margin.

October 2, 1960: It rained today, so only 45,700 fans showed up for the final game of the regular season. Dick Drott (3-5, 6 SV, 4.26 ERA, 57.0 IP, 35 K’s, 1.54 WHIP) started against Dave Sisler (3-2, 3.82 ERA, 61.1 IP, 22 K’s, 1.32 WHIP), and he handled the start admirably, exiting the game after six innings with a 3-2 lead. Paul LaPalme took over in the seventh, and he got through the seventh and eighth just fine, but let them get the tying run across in the top of the ninth. Thankfully our bats perked up in the bottom of the inning and we walked it off with a three-run homer by Ed Bailey to win this one 6-3 without the need for the absurdity of extra innings on the last day of the season. LaPalme blew his third save but got the win, finishing the year at 4-4 with a 2.97 ERA, allowing two hits and a run while striking out five batters in his three innings. We outhit them 10-8, led by Willie Davis with three hits, two runs and two RBIs.

We finished the season with a 91-63 record and will face off against the 95-59 Milwaukee Braves in the World Series, our first since 1919. This was our best win-loss record since winning 93 games in 1955. The Braves, who have won three of the last four World Series, have the homefield advantage. We’ll open the series in Milwaukee on the 5th, though we plan to try and get as many of our fans in there as we can since it’s such a short trip!

jksander · 12-21-2024, 12:35 PM

1960 World Series
Chicago White Sox (91-63) vs. Milwaukee Braves (95-59)

October 5, 1960: The Braves are in their fourth World Series of the last five seasons, and they won every time they made it, so we know we have our work cut out for us. We finished with a +187 run differential to their +195, but they were 16-9 in extra innings games and 28-26 in one run games, a big reason they have the better record in this one (our pythagorean record is 97-57, so all those close losses took their toll). Our pitchers have an ERA of 3.35 to their 3.44, but their bullpen has been much more trustworthy, putting up a 3.25 ERA (2nd in the NL) to our 4.50 (7th in the AL). Batting is a push, pretty much ... we’re hitting .265 and leading the AL in OBP (.341), Slugging (.403), WAR (30.7) and runs scored (756), while they’re hitting .267 (2nd in the NL) with OBP of .332 (3rd), a Slug of .433 (1st), 38.0 batting WAR (1st) and with 794 runs scored (1st). Give them the edge in baserunning (+6.9 to +3.9) but really this matchup looks like it’s going to come down to pitching. And our starters give us a distinct edge, if they can go the distance.

Jack Kralick (19-9, 1.88 ERA, 254.0 IP, 139 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) started game one of the World Series in Milwaukee against Dick Ellsworth (19-3, 2.69 ERA, 247.1 IP, 142 K’s, 1.11 WHIP). Milwaukee took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Deron Johnson, but Ernie Banks batted in Willie Davis with a double to tie it up in the top of the seventh! We stole the lead from them in the top of the ninth with a sac-fly by Ed Bailey, Minoso tagging up to score, and in the bottom of the ninth they got runners onto second and third with just one out ... but Kralick has icewater in his veins and brass balls, holding firm as he got two quick groundouts to end the game as a 2-1 win for our White Sox! Kralick allowed nine hits, one walk and one (unearned) run with five strikeouts in his complete game, throwing 138 pitches in a dominating performance, as they actually outhit us 9-6! Ernie Banks led the offense with two hits and an RBI, while Minoso added a hit, a walk and a run scored.

October 6, 1960: Jim O’Toole (17-3, 2.53 ERA, 206.2 IP, 131 K’s, 1.08 WHIP) pitched against Frank Sullivan (14-8, 3.58 ERA, 228.2 IP, 123 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) in game two, with Sullivan coming off a cold stretch to end the season (he lost his last three starts). We took the lead in the top of the first with an RBI double by Minnie Minoso, and we added on with an RBI single by Piersall in the top of the third to lead 2-0! By the time Willie Davis batted in Aparicio with a double in the top of the sixth, you could hear the crowd’s nervousness as we asserted our control from the mound. Incredibly, O’Toole held on for a complete game shutout as we beat the Braves 3-0, and we’ll be heading back down to Chicago with a two-game lead in the series! O’Toole only allowed three hits with one walk, striking out five as our starters’ ERA remains unblemished (since Kralick’s run yesterday was unearned). If the bullpen’s a liability, why not just let the starters pitch? Seems to be working so far ... plus the bats were hot today -- we outhit them 10-3, led by Willie Davis with three hits, a walk, a run and an RBI, while Minoso added two hits and an RBI.

October 8, 1960: The stadium held its 53,000 or so, but I’m told more than 30,000 overflow fans were surrounding the stadium at first pitch today, a clear, windy perfect day for the first playoff baseball in Chicago since 1919! Billy Pierce (15-6, 3.34 ERA, 210.0 IP, 127 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) started against Bob Friend (14-11, 3.37 ERA, 229.2 IP, 86 K’s, 1.27 WHIP), and when we took the lead in the bottom of the second off an RBI single by Bobby Morgan this place physically quaked. Ed Bailey hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, and we extended the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single by Minoso which was followed by a sac-fly by Banks, with Aparicio tagging up to score. Freddie Burdette took over on the mound in the top of the eighth, and he held tough as we blasted the Braves 5-1, sending the NL juggernauts to the brink of a sweep! Pierce pitched seven innings with seven hits, three strikeouts and an earned run, giving him a 1.29 playoff ERA, and Burdette got his save with two innings and just a hit, a walk and four strikeouts. We outhit them 10-8, led by Ed Bailey, who hit twice with a run and an RBI.

October 9, 1960: Stan Williams (13-9, 3.47 ERA, 176.1 IP, 123 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) got the game four start, facing Milwaukee’s Ralph Terry (10-7, 4.44 ERA, 182.1 IP, 89 K’s, 1.28 WHIP), and many on press row took it as a sign of defeat that the Braves didn’t go with Ellsworth on short rest with the team on the brink of elimination. But maybe they were smart, since Williams got smashed in the top of the third, allowing five runs before he could finally end the shelling. It happened fast ... a two run single by Clete Boyer followed by a two-run triple by Deron Johnson, capped with an RBI single by Granny Hamner. But that’s how this game goes sometimes ... Chuck Stobbs came out in long relief for us starting in the top of the fourth, but the game quickly became a rout for the Braves as we lost this one 8-2. Our two aces will start tomorrow in game five, as we hope to end this here in Chicago without any more road travel. Williams’ postseason debut was ugly -- six hits, three walks, five runs, three strikeouts in just three innings, giving him a ridiculous 15.00 ERA (small samples are the nature of the playoffs). Stobbs pitched five innings with seven hits, three runs and three strikeouts, giving him a 5.40 ERA, and Paul LaPalme got a good inning in without a baserunner as we mopped up. The Braves outhit us 13-7, our team led by Willie Davis who had three hits and a run scored.

October 10, 1960; Kralick brings his 0.00 ERA up against Dick Ellsworth’s 1.00 ERA (both pitchers had one unearned run in the first game of the series) as the two Cy Young candidates square off in a rematch. And once again it became a duel for the ages ... Ted Kluszewski hit an RBI single in the top of the third to put them ahead, but then all scoring stopped for inning after inning, until in the bottom of the eighth we tied it up off a wild pitch, Ed Bailey scoring the unearned run! And this one was too good to end in regulation, we needed extra innings! Freddie Burdette took over for Kralick in the top of the 10th, and in the bottom of the inning, with one out, Ed Bailey became a White Sox hero for life as he walked this off with a two-run homer ... we’d won 3-1, and with the win came the title of World Champions!

The Chicago White Sox are your World Champions, winning the series four games to one!

Kralick damned near went the distance, nine innings with five hits, two walks, six strikeouts and just one earned run, but it came down to Burdette, who pitched an inning with just a single walk, giving him a win and the honor of having a 0.00 ERA in his three postseason innings! Kralick pitched 18 innings and finished with a 0.50 ERA, and we’re really glad to have him locked up long term ... he could become the best pitcher in the game if he stays on this track! We outhit them 7-5 in the duel, led by Bailey who had three hits, two runs and two RBIs to give him a .368 average through the four games. He earned the honor of World Series MVP, with two doubles, two homers and four RBIs, giving him 1.6 playoff WAR.

The title is our team’s third in the history of the White Sox club, in our fifth appearance in the series. The other two came in 1906 and 1917, so today’s generation had only a vague inkling of what it was like to be the champs. Here’s hoping we can keep this team coming back for years to come, because this experience was intoxicating!

jksander · 12-21-2024, 01:02 PM

October 12, 1960: Our owner Kelly Schober is still positively giddy about the World Series win, and he’s officially rewarded us with a $600,000 budget bump to $3.84 million. That alone will give us enough resources to challenge the Yankees, Dodgers and Braves as we fight to get back-to-bak pennants and another trip to the Series, while pushing ourselves into position to build the kind of team that can dominate a decade. We have $290,000 in cash room as well, after finishing the season with 2,467,765 tickets sold, by far the best attendance in the majors. He’s given me a few goals for the upcoming season.

First, he wants me to sign Willie Davis to a long term deal ... he’s expected to get $14,000 in arbitration this year, but that number is going to jump up rapidly from there, set to reach $101,000 in 1962, $166,000 in 1963 and $194,000 in 1964. In his first two seasons he’s hit .319/.370/.500 with 61 doubles, 25 triples, 39 homers and 168 RBIs, scoring 219 runs as he’s mastered the leadoff spot ... his 13.1 WAR over two seasons is incredible, so I agree it’s a key goal to show him we value him long term. Right now he wants an 11 year deal that has an opt-out after the 1968 season, but is not asking for a no-trade clause. I think we can find a deal that will make everyone happy.

He wants a top ten prospect in the farm ... maybe we can make this happen through the draft, but if it requires trading, that may be a tough ask. He also wants a top three farm system, which tends to run counter to our current “win now” mentality. I’ll continue to do my best with the draft, but we’ve had a lot of success bringing guys up to the majors at a young age, which precludes stockpiling young phenoms like Kansas City and their ilk have been doing. It also runs counter to his fourth goal, which is to keep bringing more of my drafted players up to the majors quickly. Can’t have it both ways, buddy ... we’re going to stay the course and keep doing what’s been working, which should help us reach his other goal ... another title in the next six seasons.

The big craziness this year is we have to deal with the impending expansion draft ... with new teams in Los Angeles (the Angels) and Washington (the NEW Senators, who will replace the OLD Senators, who are now going to be the Twins of Minnesota) ... confused? So are many of us. The key is we have to protect players from the expansion draft, as the Senators and Angels will be drafting complete teams from the players we DON’T ... Each team can protect 15 players, and everyone with three service years or less are automatically safe. Only three players can be taken from any team, and the expansion draft is not limited to just the American League* ... both leagues have to submit protection lists, which means we’ll have to do this again next year too with the addition of the Texas Rangers and the Houston Colt .45’s. We also have to prepare for the upcoming season’s expanded schedule, which for the first time will feature a 162-game season.

* This differs from how it worked in real life, where the AL expansion just took players from AL teams, and the NL expansion took players from just the NL teams. But I assume the game does not account for this since the modern day expansion draft in the era of interleague play requires both leagues to submit expansion lists. I’m not that interested in historical accuracy at this point, as far as my league has already diverged from the historical record, so I’ll embrace the challenge of two back-to-back expansion drafts.

That’s a lot. It’s gonna be a wild offseason:

10/16: Draft Pool announced
11/2: Arbitration hearings
11/4: Free Agency filings
11/15: Rookie Draft
11/16: Expansion Draft protection lists due
11/17: Expansion Draft
11/21: Winter Meetings begin

We’ll keep you up to date as we do everything in our power to keep this team the best the American League has to offer.

October 16, 1960: The draft this year does not look to be huge on “can’t lose” talent at the top, and the early favorites are all young high school aged guys who we’ll never have a chance at since we won the title and will be picking 15th, ahead of only the Braves, Angels and Senators. Looking at the draft as a whole, I can’t say I’ve seen worse depth since starting my managerial career ... so finding diamonds in this rough could be a real challenge. We’re not rescinding arbitration offers to anyone, and have offered Warren Hacker a one year extension at $38,000 but are awaiting his reply. All other minor leaguers have been offered standard minor league extensions, with CF Lou Johnson and RP Ed Roebuck almost certainly heading to free agency once the filings are official.

October 20, 1960: Gold Glove awards have been announced, and we had two of them ... Jack Kralick won the pitcher Gold Glove, and Jim Piersall, who had a +8.2 zone rating and only five errors all year at center field, took home the Gold Glove at that position, his sixth year in a row winning it across his time in Boston, Philly and now Chicago. We have him locked up for the long haul, so our defense at center is destined to remain top notch.

October 22, 1960: The Al’s Platinum Stick awards were announced today, and Ed Bailey took home the award at catcher, Ernie Banks took his easily at shortstop, and Willie Davis won for hitting among right fielders.

October 24, 1960: My record this year apparently impressed my contemporaries enough that they’ve named me AL Manager of the Year! That’s not bad at all considering that I’m still just 444-480 over my first six seasons as a major league manager. It may be hard to top winning the World Series in my first season managing in the playoffs, but I’m up to the challenge!

October 25, 1960: Jack Kralick officially can say that, at age 25, he’s a Cy Young winner! Kralick threw 31 starts this year and pitched a career high 254 innings, finishing with a 19-9 record, a 1.88 ERA and 139 K’s against 48 walks, giving him a 0.93 WHIP and 6.8 total WAR, earning himself a $13,000 bonus in the process! He was a unanimous winner, finishing with nearly double the points of Billy O’Dell, his nearest competitor. Jim O’Toole (17-3, 2.53 ERA, 206.2 IP, 131 K’s, 1.08 WHIP, 4.6 WAR) finished fourth place in the voting.

October 26, 1960: Mickey Mantle continues to have the baseball press enamored with him, as he won his fourth MVP in five years in the AL ... nobody even stood a chance against him, as he hit .337 with 16 doubles, 33 homers and 130 RBIs this year with 9.5 WAR, beating out Roger Maris of the Cleveland Guardians, who hit .277 but with 22 doubles, 50 homers and 137 RBIs, with 16 stolen bases and 7.6 WAR. Keep an eye on Maris, though ... he may not hit as well for contact, but he’s already got 174 homers in just his first five seasons, and he hasn’t shown any signs that he plans to slow down.

October 28, 1960: Warren Hacker signed his contract, so the four-time World Champion reliever will have one more year with us at $38,000. He went 6-7 this year with a 3.35 ERA, striking out 36 batters in 102 innings, and his pinpoint control will surely keep him well entrenched in our bullpen. At the least, his veteran leadership has to be worth quite a bit ... he’s always been the kind of player who does what he needs to do for his team, whether he was winning a title with Milwaukee or with us.

November 4, 1960: It’s a pretty weak free agency pool this year, particularly when it comes to top-end bullpen arms and middle infielders, the positions I’d be more likely to sign. So I’m going to sit things out until I see how the rookie draft and the whole expansion raid goes.

November 15, 1960: Kansas City once again picked first in the draft this year, and this year they drafted 22-year-old Tony Oliva at right field. An international player from Cuba, he does look like the best guy in the draft according to OSA ratings, though my scout wasn’t particularly impressed.

ROUND 1, Pick 15: 3B Ken McMullen
We wound up going with third baseman Ken McMullen with our 15th pick in the first round, who has high potential defensively at first, third, left and right field, along with plus-level raw power, above average contact skills and huge potential overall. He’s also durable and young ... at 18, we can take the time to let him develop in our minors and give him time to find his rhythm.

ROUND 2, Pick 33: SP Dave Morehead
We went with a durable starting pitcher, Dave Morehead, in the second round, but his stuff may end up being better suited to a multi-inning bullpen role long term though our scout says he has the potential to develop into a back-end starter -- at age 17, I like his four pitch mix, which includes a killer curveball and an above average fastball, slider and cutter.

ROUND 3, Pick 53: SP Gene Brabender
We went with another pitcher in the third round, 19-year-old right handed starter Gene Brabender, who lacks control right now and is a long-term prospect, but his stuff is already there and he’s durable. With enough time, he could become a frontline starter, if he can work on his stamina and command.

Beyond that, this draft is high on long-term guys with marginal potential at best, so we’ll wait and see who among them suddenly rise to the top (or if any do). It was a weak draft in general, and outside the top three I don’t have big expectations.

We’ve made our list for protections ahead of the expansion draft:

SP: Jack Kralick, Stan Williams, Billy Pierce
RP: Freddie Burdette, Chuck Stobbs, Raul Puig
C: Ed Bailey
1B: Minnie Minoso
2B: Bobby Morgan
3B: Daryl Spencer
SS: Ernie Banks
LF: Anthony Washington, Wally Post
CF: Gene Stephens, Jim Piersall

November 17, 1960: The NEW Washington Senators drafted RF Willie Kirkland from us in the fifth round and SS Luis Aparicio from us in the sixth round. The LA Angels took starter Bennie Daniels in the 14th round. We didn’t lose anyone we couldn’t afford to part with, though Aparicio was always a solid contributor. He was never going to start as often as he’d like, so he’ll be better off playing for a team that needs him.

jksander · 12-21-2024, 01:59 PM

November 30, 1960: Huge news for Yankees fans ... Hank Aaron, the 1957 MVP who won three world titles with the Milwaukee Braves, became a free agent on November 4th, and the 26-year-old signed an eight year deal with New York worth $1,952,000 in total money committed ... he’ll earn $214,000 this year, an amount that will rise incrementally until 1964, at which point he’ll earn $254,000 per year through 1968 when he’ll be 34 years old and still in the prime of his career. Aaron hit .332 this year with Milwaukee with 38 doubles, 35 homers, 113 RBIs and 7.5 total WAR, winning the NL’s Platinum Stick award at right field. The Yankees are reportedly transitioning Aaron to first base because Al Kaline has right field locked up for them. This is definitely a move that makes the Yankees a formidable opponent for years to come, though with Casey Stengel’s retirement after missing the World Series this season, there is a lot up in the air for recently hired manager Ralph Kennedy, age 36, who has zero major league management experience. If he can’t get them back to the biggest stage in baseball quickly, you just know that New York media will eat him alive, especially in this expanded 162-game era.

December 16, 1960: We’ve made a move to improve our team defensively in the infield, acquiring 26-year-old Gene “Augie” Freese from Minnesota’s Twins, in exchange for a pair of our top prospects: 23-year-old second baseman Pedro Gonzalez, from AAA San Diego (#49, BNN), and 18-year-old right handed starter Fred Newman, from AA Lincoln (#20, BNN), along with $125,000 in cash. Freese, who put up 2.8 WAR last year for the then-Washington Senators, hit .227 with 24 doubles and 14 homers with 64 RBIs, but the key is he can play second, third or short at an extremely high level. He would be a huge improvement over Daryl Spencer at third base or over Ernie Banks at short (with Banks potentially moving over to third base). He has incredible gap power, and hits well for contact, having won the 1958 platinum stick at short and a Gold Glove at short in 1960. He’s a free agent after the 1960 season, earning $192,000 this year, but if he works out well, he’ll be the kind of guy who can sign a solid deal long term and provide great defense well into the coming decade. Neither prospect was going to have a window to come up to the majors any time soon, with Morgan locked in at second base and our pitching rotation already full of young arms who are all developing well. Seemed like a great time to make a move to improve our defense as we work to keep the rest of the AL on their toes as we defend our title, especially in a weak free agent market like this is.

December 19, 1960: Willie Davis officially signed his long term deal to stay in Chicago! The 12-year deal, worth $3.12 million if he opts into the back half, will keep him on the southside through 1973, when he’ll be 33 years old. The first six years will start next season with a salary of $48,000, adding $48,000 per year through 1966, with a $300,000 salary in 1967. He then has an opt-out in his contract, but if he signs on for the back half, he’ll earn $350,000 per year including a vesting option in 1973 that is voided if he doesn’t reach 600 plate appearances in 1972. He did not ask for a no-trade clause or for any other cash incentives, and if he continues to hit like he has since being drafted, I suspect this will work out to be a very good deal for our team.

December 20, 1960: We opted not to take anyone in this year’s rule five draft, and we didn’t lose anyone to other teams either. The NEW Washington Senators took players in each of the draft’s eight rounds, including SP Tom Bowers from the Tigers, SP Gary Peters and RP Edy Blanko from the Orioles, SP Roland Passaro from the Phillies, RP Dick Mrofka, RP John Brogan and RP Tom Pakes from the Cubs, and RP Kenneth Wright from the Braves. I suspect they’ll send more than a few of them back, but as an expansion team you have to try and get players where you can. We had left defensive LF Bob Farley unprotected, but apparently no teams wanted a player who hit .297 with 83 RBIs at AAA San Diego with 2.8 WAR. Fine by me, we were able to keep the 23-year-old with all his options, and he’s a potential defensive backup at the major league level if we have any injury issues -- but for now we can avoid putting the former fifth-rounder in a 40-man spot.

January 11, 1961: Nobody made the Hall of Fame again this year, and in fact nobody even got more than 50 percent of the votes. The press continue to be extremely stingy with their voting, and we may make it late into the new decade before seeing anyone new enshrined in Cooperstown.

February 12, 1961: We have our schedule for the upcoming season, with spring training games a month away. And we’ll be opening the year on the road, with three games at expansion Washington April 10, 12 and 13. We’ll then play three against Detroit on the road April 14-16, before a week of home games that starts with two games against Washington April 18 and 20. We’ll play the new LA Angels for the first time on our field April 24-25, and we won’t face the Yankees until a four game road series May 26-28.

This new 162 game season is going to be brutal, however, especially when it comes to travel. A good example is a late-May road trip ... We’ll play Minnesota here in Chicago on May 16, fly west to LA for three games in two days May 18-19, and then fly east for a May 21 doubleheader in Boston that starts a stretch with 11 games in eight days in Boston, Baltimore, and New York. That’s INSANE ... We then have a situation in late June that involves a game in Detroit on June 29 followed by a west coast game in LA on June 30, followed by a quick turnaround back east from LA on July 2 to Minnesota on June 3 ... that stretch of road games features 15 games in 13 days including a pair of doubleheaders, stretching from June 27 through July 9 as we go into the All Star break.

It’s going to definitely be a challenge to repeat in the AL this year, even with the two expansion teams watering things down competition-wise.

jksander · 12-21-2024, 03:02 PM

March 6, 1961: We started spring training today with the 38 players on our 40-man roster all headed to the complex, along with LF Bob Farley, closer Wayne Schurr and reliever Bob Heffner, who are not on that roster. I also invited Dave Morehead, this year’s second rounder, though I do not expect him to make it on our 25-man roster for the start of spring.

April 5, 1961: We got some good news out of the development complex this week!

- Stan Williams worked with our training staff to increase his stamina on the mound, and the 24-year-old should now be capable of more consistently pitching his way deep into games. Last year 19 of his 28 starts were quality starts, but he only had two complete games, and has just eight complete games out of his first 86 starts. So we’re hopeful to see him more frequently get into the eighth and ninth innings as the season progresses.

- Relief pitcher Raul Puig worked on his strength and conditioning and was successful, which should improve his overall durability. Puig was 2-2 last year with seven saves in 48 total bullpen appearances between our team and Philly, with a 2.63 ERA through 68.1 innings pitched. And everything I’ve seen from him convinces me he will be a key player in our bullpen during this extended regular season.

- We had three pitchers working on their velocity, including Cy Young winner Jack Kralick, who now is able to consistently throw in the mid-90s, improving his fastball significantly. He’s always relied on his slider, curve, changeup and cutter, but having the ability to surprise batters with a better-zipping fastball will give him added edge this year for sure. Freddie Burdette actually improved his velo significantly, and now can regularly throw his curveball and sinker in the upper 90s, increasing the quality of his stuff significantly. Couple that with his solid movement and above average control, and he should remain a top stopper for us, potentially pitching triple digit innings. Minor league closer-type Merrill Silver also improved his velo to 97+ miles per hour on his fastball and slider, though he continues to lack good movement or control ... the 25-year-old is a good groundball pitcher, however, and he’ll likely get time in our bullpen at the major league level more than he did last year, though if he doesn’t get his ERA down significantly he may prove to be more valuable as trade bait. We’ll soon see.

April 9, 1961: Opening Day is tomorrow, and we got through the spring with a 19-11 record, trailing New York (21-9) and Minnesota (22-8). The two new members of the AL weren’t “awful,” per se, but Washington (13-17) certainly did better than the LA Angels, who finished 8-22, tied for last place with Kansas City. Here’s our opening day roster for your perusal:

Lineup
C - Ed Bailey
1B - Minnie Minoso
2B - Bobby Morgan
3B - Ernie Banks
SS - Gene Freese
LF - Wally Post
CF - Jim Piersall
RF - Willie Davis

Bench: C Jim Pagliaroni, 1B Sherm Lollar, 3B Daryl Spencer, LF Gene Stephens, RF Jesse Washington

Starters
1 - Jack Kralick
2 - Billy Pierce
3 - Jim O’Toole
4 - Stan Williams
5 - Chuck Stobbs

Bullpen
ST - Bobby Burdette
SE - Raul Puig
MR - Dick Drott, Warren Hacker, Merrill Silver
LR - Fred Green, Bob Porterfield

Our owner is all in for us to win a repeat title, and the press pretty much has us locked in as such, predicting we’ll go 114-48 and beat the Yankees by about five games in a tight pennant race thanks to the dillution of talent which has Washington expected to lose 111 games with LA’s Angels expected to finish slightly better with 110 losses. Minnesota, Kansas City and Detroit are expected to round out the bottom half of the ten-team standings, in that order. The NL is expected to be a much tighter battle, with Pittsburgh (87-68) and Milwaukee (84-70) expected to be the cream of that crop, with Cincinnati and Chicago expected to be at the bottom with 69 wins apiece.

All eyes are on Baltimore’s Ron Santo, 21, who put up 4.7 WAR last year with a .300 average, 29 doubles, 14 homers and 64 RBIs as he won the AL Rookie of the Year award. He’s expected to lead the league in batting average, with Maris favored to win the homer title again with 54 ... though Ernie Banks and Mickey Mantle are expected to be right there in that fight along with Cleveland’s Rocky Colavito and Norm Cash ... Billy O’Dell is the favorite to win the Cy Young, with a surprising number of press voters picking Milt Pappas of Kansas City to have a breakout season. Kralick was picked to win 20 games but finish second or third in a tight pitching race.

We all know what those preseason predictions are good for, however. There are 162 games to play in the next six months, and anything can and often will happen during that time frame.

11-27-2024, 09:18 AM	#121
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	September 22, 1959: We have four games left, this one in Cleveland and then three more in Detroit to wrap up the 1959 season. Jack Kralick (16-8, 2.62 ERA, 223.1 IP, 121 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) pitched against Carl Erskine (10-11, 4.71 ERA, 174.0 IP, 87 K’s, 1.39 WHIP). The game turned into a shootout early, and with two outs and a man on third in the bottom of the fifth we brought out Bob Rush, the score tied at 7-7. They wound up getting the lead before he got the final out. He pitched through the seventh, and Wells got us through the eighth still trailing by a run. In the top of the ninth we tied it up with an RBI double by Felipe Alou, and Kuykendall took over from there, getting this one into extra innings. Kuykendall pitched one of his best games of the year, getting us into the 13th inning, but we couldn’t get a damned run across. Bill Fischer took over for us in the bottom of the 13th, still knotted up at eight-all, and Ed Roebuck took over in the bottom of the 15th. In the bottom of the 17th we brought out Jim Donohue and his nearly 100-mph fastball, and that backfired on us when Charlie Neal led off with a solo homer to win it for Cleveland 9-8. What a crazy game! Donohue lost the game, falling to 0-1 with an 11.74 ERA, but the 20-year-old has only played a limited role this year with fewer than eight innings pitched in total ... if he can find some control over that insane fastball / curveball combo he’ll have a strong future with our club. We outhit the Guardians 18-16, led by Ed Bailey with two hits, two walks, two runs and three RBIs. Pittsburgh clinched the pennant in the National League today with a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Braves, who will miss out on the Fall Classic after three dominant championship seasons -- they’ll finish fourth in the league this year. All the Dodgers and the Cardinals have left is the fight over who will finish second in the NL ... both teams are currently 90-61, with the Cardinals on a three-game winning streak. September 25, 1959: Billy Pierce (9-8, 3.72 ERA, 186.1 IP, 110 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) started against Detroit’s Tom Brewer (11-13, 3.93 ERA, 229.0 IP, 105 K’s, 1.26 WHIP). Pierce pitched a complete game, but we blew a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh when the Tigers scored off a solo homer by Lee Walls and a two-run double by Russ Snyder, beating us 4-3. Pierce took the loss and will finish his season with a 9-9 record and a 3.70 ERA, having allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) with a walk and six strikeouts. We were outhit 7-6, led by Davis with a hit, a run and two RBIs. September 26, 1959: Chuck Stobbs (14-7, 3.07 ERA, 176.0 IP, 81 K’s, 1.27 WHIP) pitched against Bob Kuzawa (9-14, 4.64 ERA, 165.0 IP, 79 K’s, 1.53 WHIP). We dug a three-run hole in the bottom of the first but clawed our way back to tie it in the top of the fifth with a two-run double by Ed Bailey. Bob Rush came out to pitch in the botom of the sixth and he stayed out through the eighth ... we came out to hit in the top of the ninth trailing 5-3, but would wind up batting around, scoring off a wild pitch and tying the score with an RBI single by Minoso. We’d score two more runs via singles by Alou and Siebern, and then Daryl Spencer, hitting for the second time in the inning, hit a double that drove in three more to put us up 10-5! Don Blasingame hit a solo homer off Rush to lead off in the bottom of the inning, so Shifflett came out to finish things off ... three quick outs and we’d won this insane game by a 10-6 margin! Rush earned the win, giving him a 4-7 record and a 3.90 ERA with three hits, three walks and three runs in his three innings. He has played in 43 games this year, saving four, and leads our bullpen with 94.2 innings. The Yankees clinched the AL pennant with an 8-6 win over Baltimore in their second to last game of the season. They’ll head to the World Series to face Pittsburgh after missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 1954. The Bronx Bombers last took the title in 1955, and they’d love to get a win for the American League as Casey Stengel, nearing age 70, finishes his 20th season as a manager. He’s on contract with the team through 1962, but you never know how long a man will want to keep putting up with the relentless drive to win that exists in New York. September 27, 1959: It’s the final game of the year, Stan Williams (11-10, 3.34 ERA, 159.0 IP, 121 K’s, 1.31 WHIP) pitched against Detroit’s Frank Sullivan (11-11, 4.49 ERA, 244.1 IP, 132 K’s, 1.29 WHIP). Williams pitched a complete game, but Detroit took the lead by two in the bottom of the sixth and added on in the eighth, and they’d beat us in the end by a 3-2 margin. Williams finishes his season with an 11-11 record and a 3.34 ERA, after allowing nine hits tonight with four strikeouts and three earned runs ... but the season for him was a resounding success, improving in almost every metric and putting up 4.3 games of WAR. Detroit outhit us 9-7, Minoso leading the way for us with two hits and two runs. Willie Davis, our rookie right fielder, finished the year with a .326 average and 30 doubles, 10 triples and 23 homers while playing in 142 games. He batted in 94 runs and stole 25 bases, putting up 7.3 WAR as a rookie. We knew he’d be good when we picked him sixth overall in this year’s draft, but we had no idea he’d get this good this quickly. On the pitching side, Jack Kralick led the American League in ERA, finishing 16-8 with a 2.72 ERA and 122 K’s through 228 innings. His 1.13 WHIP was second only to Billy O’Dell’s 1.02 WHIP over in New York. He should at least be in the AL Cy Young conversation, along with Jim O’Toole (14-8, 2.82 ERA, 210.2 IP, 114 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) who finished with 5.4 WAR. But it’s going to be hard to beat Camilo Pascual, who pitched for a terrible Washington team and still finished with a 17-10 record, a 3.39 ERA and 176 K’s while pitching nearly 275 innings. We finished the season with a record of 86 wins and 68 losses, good for third place in the AL (six games back of Cleveland and seven games up on Washington). That’s a 15-win improvement on last year’s 71-83 record before I took over, and we’re firmly on track to reach the playoffs well before our owner Kelly Schober’s goal of a World Series by ’63. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

11-27-2024, 11:12 AM	#122
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	1959 World Series New York Yankees (94-60) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (97-57) Pittsburgh comes into this series as the surprise of Major League Baseball. They went into the offseason fully ready to buy in after finishing fourth last year in the NL with a record of 80-74. Their 17-game improvement is owed in no small part to the brilliance of trading for Willie Mays, who helped them to their first pennant win since 1927! The Pirates won the whole enchilada in 1909 and 1925 but only have seven pennants to their name, so they’re a nice contrast to the Yankees who have won 24 pennants and 17 titles including seven since World War II ended. September 30, 1959: The series got going today in New York, with the Yankees’ Billy O’Dell (15-10, 2.81 ERA, 268.2 IP, 150 K’s, 1.02 WHIP) facing off against Pittsburgh’s Mike Cuellar (20-12, 2.48 ERA, 290.1 IP, 160 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) in front of a capacity crowd that pushed 59,000. A Bob Cerv flyball double in the bottom of the second pushed the Yankees into the lead, and they added on when Bobby Richardson hit a two-run single that was aided by an E9 throwing error. But in the top of the sixth Pittsburgh hit back hard -- Cuellar hit an RBI single to get them on the board and they tied it with a two-run blast by Bob Skinner, Willie Mays batting in a run with a double for the lead and then scoring himself off a Roberto Clemente single! The Pirates added on in the top of the ninth with a two-run double by Russ Nixon, and they stole one away from the Yankees on their own field with a 7-3 win! Cuellar was stellar (I’m a poet and I know it) as he pitched a complete game with eight hits, a walk and three runs (two earned), striking out a pair, while O’Dell may catch some hell for his 10 hits and seven runs (six earned) in his own complete game. Pittsburgh outhit the Yanks 10-8, led by Russ Nixon with two hits, a run and two RBIs, and by leadoff man Bob Skinner who hit once, scoring a run and driving in two. October 1, 1959: For game two Pittsburgh matched Ron Kline (15-10, 2.98 ERA, 245.0 IP, 103 K’s, 1.20 WHIP) against New York’s Mike McCormick (17-12, 3.06 ERA, 267.2 IP, 166 K’s, 1.34 WHIP), who tied with a number of other pitchers to lead the AL in wins. The Pirates took the lead in the top of the second with an RBI single by Russ Nixon, and a Willie Mays RBI double added on for them in the top of the third. Tony Kubek batted in a run with a single to put the Yankees on the board in the bottom of the fifth, but Pittsburgh took no prisoners in the top of the seventh when Mays hit a two-run homer and Dick Groat batted in two more with a double to take a 6-1 lead as the Yankees fans looked stunned. But the Yankees battled back with three runs in the seventh and another in the eighth, walking it off in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run double by Woodie Held to win this one for New York 7-6! Unbelievable ... that was a hell of a finish, and an epic collapse for the Pirates who really wanted to go back to Pittsburgh with a dominating series lead. Both starters went 6.2 innings, so the game was decided by the bullpens, and in that regard Pittsburgh was the clear loser ... Guillermo Martinez and Red Swanson pitched two innings and combined for five hits, a walk and three earned runs against them. Both teams had 11 hits apiece, Woodie Held leading the Yankees with two hits, a run and two RBIs, while Mays dominated for the Pirates with three hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs. October 3, 1959: We’re in Pittsburgh for game three, the series tied up 1-1. Pittsburgh started Claude Osteen (14-6, 2.59 ERA, 191.0 IP, 132 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) against Vinegar Bend Mizell (17-10, 3.04 ERA, 245.1 IP, 142 K’s, 1.23 WHIP). And this one was a snoozer unless you’re a Yankees fan ... Mantle hit a sac-fly to score Mizell from third to go ahead in the top of the third, Held then batting in another with an RBI single. Alvin Dark added on in the top of the sixth when Kubek grounded out into a double play, and Lee Thomas hit a sac-fly to put them up by four in the top of the seventh. Thomas then hit a two-run homer as a ninth inning exclamation point, capping off the 6-0 shutout win. Mizell piched a complete game three hit shutout, walking four and striking out two, the Yankees outhitting Pittsburgh 13-3. Yawn ... Thomas was their best hitter, with two hits, a run and three RBIs. October 4, 1959: Pittsburgh really needed a win today, and they put Bud Daley (12-6, 3.18 ERA, 152.2 IP, 77 K’s, 1.17 WHIP) up against the Yankees’ Billy Hoeft (17-7, 3.19 ERA, 220.0 IP, 123 K’s, 1.30 WHIP). The Yankees went up 2-0 in the top of the fourth with RBI singles by Woodie Held and Alvin Dark, but Pittsburgh answered with a two-run single by Roberto Clemente and an RBI triple by Frank Malzone in the bottom of the inning, retaking the lead. Willie Mays hit an RBI double in the fifth to extend their lead, and they held tough to win this one when they needed it, beating New York 5-1. Daley only lasted 6.2 innings, allowing five hits, four walks and two runs with five K’s, but Red Swanson redeemed himself with 2.1 innings and three hits, a walk, two strikeouts ... no runs. The Pirates outhit the Yankees 10-8, led by Clemente with three hits, two runs and two RBIs as we head into game five again knotted two games apiece. October 5, 1959: Cuellar and O’Dell faced off for the second time in game five, and Pittsburgh took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Clemente, extending the lead when Frank Malzone hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Bill Mazeroski. Bob Skinner hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to add on, and this time Pittsburgh was on the winning end of the 4-0 shutout -- they’ll take the 3-2 series lead on the road to New York, leaving the Yankees little room for error. The two aces both pitched complete games again, and Cuellar improved to 2-0 in the playoffs with five hits, three walks and eight strikeouts, his ERA at 1.00 through his two World Series starts. Pittsburgh outhit New York 9-5, led by Skinner, who hit twice with a run and two RBIs in the leadoff spot. October 7, 1959: Kline and McCormick faced off in game six, with Yankee Stadium even more bursting at the seams than before if you can believe it. And this one was hard-fought from the start. New York went up in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Woodie Held, adding on with an RBI double by Al Smith in the third. But Pittsburgh’s Ritchie Ashburn hit an RBI single to get on the board in the top of the fifth, and a Frank Malzone solo homer in the ninth tied it up at 2-2! This one went into extra innings and then became the most insanely brutal battle in World Series history ... both teams putting their bullpens to the test as nobody was able to score! New York finally got out of there with the win, walking it off in the bottom of the 20th inning with an RBI single by Held that gave them the 3-2 win they needed to force a game seven! The Yankees only used five pitchers, as they got 10 innings out of McCormick, who allowed nine hits with a walk, two runs and a strikeout. Billy Hoeft came out for three innings as a reliever to get the win, allowing one hit one walk and one strikeout in his three innings. Both teams had 13 hits apiece, the Yankees being led by Mantle who had two hits and a run scored. Mays only got one hit in eight at-bats, and the Pirates really needed him to be a catalyst in this one. October 8, 1959: Everybody loves a game seven, and this one’s setting up to be a doozy! They announced 59,268 fans in attendance here at Yankee Stadium, but there were so many fire-code violations I’m sure there had to be more than 60,000 in here, with a conspicuous police presence just in case of rowdy folks trying to cause trouble. Osteen and O’Dell faced off in the final battle, and Pittsburgh took the lead in the top of the second thanks to an RBI single by Russ Nixon. Roberto Clemente hit a solo homer in the fourth to extend the lead, but in the bottom of the sixth the Yankees struck back, an RBI single by Lee Thomas scoring their first run. Just moments later Alvin Dark hit an RBI single, and with two outs O’Dell walked in a run to put the Yankees ahead 3-2. The Pirates answered with a two-run homer by Andre Rodgers, and New York replied with a two-run single by Woodie Held, as this one turned into a tug-o’-war! But that was the last volley ... New York held tough down the stretch and the AL finally has its first World Series winner since the Yankees last won it in ’55 ... they beat Pittsburgh in the end 5-4. That’s about as good a series as you could ever hope to get, no matter how the end result laid out. O’Dell won the game with a seven inning effort, allowing seven hits, four runs (three earned) and a single walk, striking out a pair. Al Smith led the way with three hits and two runs, and Alvin Dark was named World Series MVP with 11 hits and a .379 average, batting in three runs during the series. *The New York Yankees are your 1959 World Champions, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.* - - - - - October 11, 1959: Though we’ve offered a bunch of minor league extensions, the only remaining contract we had to settle up on was that of long reliever Bob Rush, who finished the season with a 4-7 record and four saves, compiling a 3.90 ERA and 56 K’s through 94.2 innings. He originally was asking for more than $30,000 per year for a two year extension, but we’ve talked him into sticking around at $22,500 for the next two seasons with the understanding that we plan to use him more as a spot starter in our doubleheaders, which should allow him to put together a significant innings tally. He’s a popular guy in the clubhouse, and we’re only paying him $2,500 more per year than he was already making, which makes him a solid bullpen investment even with him about to turn 34 in December. October 24, 1959: Another offseason of baseball is upon us, and just like that we’re three weeks away from the player draft and, for the first time, a true season of pure free agency! Our owner wants us to continue to increase attendance, with a new goal of 27,000 (we broke 23,000 per game this season) and he’s added the goal of improving our bullpen ERA (this year our bullpen had a 4.45 ERA, good for sixth place in the AL). He also wants us to keep working on improving our farm system and the quality of our players reaching the majors. But the overall mood around here is excellent, as the team is vastly improved and with our White Sox destined for greatness in the coming decade. I am on contract through the next two seasons, and hope to get an extension if we can pull off a pennant win in 1960. We’re set to pick 12th in the draft this year, so we’re going to have to dig to outdraft the teams ahead of us ... due to comp picks earned by not signing their picks from last year, Kansas City (1st and 3rd) and Baltimore (6th and 10th) get to pick twice this year. We’ll pick 10th in the second round and then we’ve got two third rounders (7th and 12th) so I’m hopeful we can make a solid impression this season. We have $835,360 in cash space right now which should allow us to hit the free agency market with all we’ve got if the right players are there to get us over the hump. We’ve upped our scouting budget ($125,460) and development budget ($188,190) to the league maximum, and I have our scout checking out the top 55 amateur players he hadn’t already built up a knowedge base on. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

11-27-2024, 05:06 PM	#123
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	November 1, 1959: The AL has announced its annual Gold Glove awards, and Minnie Minoso was our lone winner, picking up the defensive award at first base for the first time in his career! Minoso had a +5.1 zone rating at first base this year with 1,377 putouts and 89 assists and just 12 errors all season. November 2, 1959: Hersh Freeman, of the Detroit Tigers, was named the AL’s reliever of the year. He put up a record of 7-9 with 16 saves and a 2.46 ERA, striking out 32 batters in 95 innings’ work, putting up a 1.21 WHIP with 2.0 wins above replacement. The 31-year-old earned $52,640 this year but has yet to sign an extension with the Tigers, so he could soon be on the free agent market. November 3, 1959: Minnie Minoso won the AL’s Platinum Stick award at first base, our only player to get the honor. He finished the season hitting .291 with 34 doubles, 23 homers and 75 RBI,s, stealing eight bases and putting up 5.9 WAR. Willie Davis was narrowly bested by Cleveland’s Rocky Colavito, who hit .267 with 37 homers, 113 runs scored and 7.5 WAR. November 4, 1959: In a result that shocked nobody, Willie Davis was a unanimous winner of the AL’s Rookie of the Year honors, and while he’s not going to win the MVP this year, with too many ahead of him, he should place well in the conversation. November 5, 1959: Casey Stengel won the Manger of the Year award in the AL after New York’s thrilling pennant and World Series come-from-behind victories, giving him his sixth such honor. Stengel, who has two years left on his Yankees contract, has a managerial record of 1,668-1,346 dating back to his days managing the Brooklyn Dodgers during the Great Depression. November 6, 1959: New York’s Billy O’Dell won the Cy Young award in the AL, with Jim O’Toole of our White Sox finishing second overall in the vote. It wasn’t close, however ... O’Dell dominated this year with a 15-10 record and 2.81 ERA through 268.2 innings, striking out 150 batters with just 54 walked, giving him a 1.02 WHIP while starting 35 times. O’Dell won the award last year as well, and finished third in the vote back in ’56. The 27-year-old has a career record of 74-43 with an ERA of 2.72 through his first 1,100 innings of work. And since the Yankees have him locked in through ’65, he’s likely to be winning tons of games for New York in the coming years. Sandy Koufax was the NL’s Cy Young winner (no shock) giving that league a repeat winner as well ... the 23-year-old went 23-10 in a pitcher’s league, dominating with a 2.22 ERA and an incredible 334 K’s through 312.2 innings, giving him a 1.02 WHIP and 12.4 total WAR. Koufax is 81-45 through his first five seasons and has nearly 1,200 strikeouts already in his career. The Dodgers extended him by just one year, so he’ll earn $194,000 this year to pitch in LA ... but will they lock him up long term this coming season? If he ever hits free agency he could command half a million a year easy. November 7, 1959: Mickey Mantle ended the decade with his third MVP Award in the AL, getting 15 of the league’s 16 votes (only Cleveland’s Norm Cash, who finished second, got a first place vote other than Mantle). Roger Maris of the Guardians finished a close third, with Ernie Banks and Rocky Colavito rounding out the top five (Willie Davis finished sixth, just one point out of fourth place as a rookie. Mantle hit .361 this year at age 28, hitting 21 doubles and 34 homers with 111 RBIs and 23 stolen bases, giving him 8.3 total WAR. Pittsburgh’s Willie Mays was the unanimous MVP choice over in the National League, batting .344 with 29 doubles, 14 triples, 43 homers and 125 RBIs ... he also stole 16 bases and put up 11.0 WAR. November 15, 1959: The day everyone’s been waiting for, we finally get to the business of drafting the league’s future stars! This year the Kansas City Athletics have the number one and number three picks, sandwiched around the San Francisco Giants who pick second. The Reds and the Cubs will then round out the top five, so they’re the teams with the best chances to draft a true stud right out of the gate. Kansas City took Rico Carty, age 20, first overall -- the left fielder was not a shocking pick, but he’s going to be a long term project if they can actually manage to sign him. San Francisco went with 17-year-old pitcher prospect Sam McDowell, who looks to have incredible stuff and a solid four pitch mix, and the Athletics then signed my favorite player in this draft, Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose, who is another head-scratcher ... he had a high demand and was likely to be a difficult signing. The pressure’s going to be on the A’s to actually follow through this year and sign these guys, or I suspect their fans will mutiny. Here are our top picks in the draft this season: ROUND 1, Pick 12: LF Tommy Harper Harper, a 19-year-old right handed hitter from Oak Grove, Oregon, is a durable athlete who runs well and aggressively and who understands the strike zone. He makes good contact which should translate to a batting average in the upper .270s ... has a considerable ceiling, but is likely to take some time to develop in the minors before he’s ready to make our 25-man roster. ROUND 2, Pick 28: SP Fred Newman At 17, Newman’s an interesting prospect ... he could become a starter, if he can work up his control, but he’ll be a lock-down bullpen arm regardless with his excellent changeup and sinker. With incredible stamina, he’d easily be able to go multiple innings out of the pen game after game, and his extreme groundball tendencies would help him keep balls in the park as well. If his movement and control max out, he’ll be an excellent starter in the future, so we’re taking a flyer on him purely based on his development potential. ROUND 3, Pick 44: SS Jerry Buchek Another 17-year-old long-term prospect, Buchek has solid potential at 2B and 3B, and may max out defensively at either of those positions. He has raw above-average power, but poor discipline at the plate could hobble him if he doesn’t put in the effort to improve. I’m told by our scouts, however, that he hustles hard and should be worth the long term investment. A straight shooter and hard worker, his only real drawback is he’s often referred to as a little “slow,” but I’ll take baseball smarts over book smarts any day. ROUND 3, Pick 49: RP Tom Dukes We continue to look for solid bullpen pieces, and Dukes, even at 17, looks to be a future keeper. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dukes has potentially lethal stuff, including an excellent fastball, curveball and slider trio. He’s completely raw and inexperienced at this point, but if he can improve his control (and our scouts feel he’s got that ability) he’ll be an excellent addition to our team. ROUND 4, Pick 66: C Charles Boone Boone, a 21-year-old from Covington, Kentucky, has the potential to become a quality defender as a catcher and as a third baseman, with good blocking and framing skill and an excellent infield arm. But he strikes out a lot and is not looking like a long-term player as a batter. He may max out as a defensive backup, but has the potential to at least fight for a role with a major league team once he develops fully. The draft was not particularly deep, and the players further down the list are fringey enough to not deserve detailed writeups until we can see how they actually handle playing in the minors. November 16, 1959: Free agency has officially begun, and there are two clubs that are entering this offseason with GMs in the hot seat ... the Washington Senators have GM Loyd Cristopher only on contract through this coming season, and though San Francisco’s GM Bob Thurman is on a deal good through 1962, I’m hearing rumors that his 57-97 record last year has the team’s owner looking for a replacement. In a 16-team league entering a new decade of contractual instability, with players more free than ever to chase big money deals, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how those teams deal with the challenge. We’re going after Jim Piersall in free agency, and he’s a player we definitely want to get ... 30 years old, a five-time Gold Glove center fielder, and last year he hit .306 for Washington, with 29 doubles, 10 triples and 17 homers, his 7.0 WAR coming thanks to a +13.9 zone rating and just TWO ERRORS all year! We want him, and we’re going to do what it takes to get him. We’re also talking with Ernie Banks, with the intention of converting him into a shortstop ... his incredible pop as a power hitter would make him more than valuable enough even with the defensive hit he’d take not playing first base. We’re also making an offer for outfielder Wally Post, who would be our primary left fielder, with Felipe Alou alternating starts at left and right field and pinch-hitting for depth as he continues to develop. Post put up 4.8 WAR last year for the Dodgers, batting .303 with 20 doubles and 42 homers, and he’d be a big power upgrade for us if we can get him. I don’t expect to get all three players, but the city of Chicago deserves to have teams fighting to actually compete -- this isn’t a small market, and in this new age of free agency our owner has vowed to put his money where his mouth his. My job is to get the players. November 24, 1959: We got huge news today from Wally Post that he’s agreed to come to Chicago! Post has agreed in principle to a five year deal worth $1,305,000 ... he’ll earn $232,000 this year, $248,000 next year, and then $275,000 each year covering 1962-64! He’ll also get a $25,000 bonus if he wins MVP, and $4,000 for every All Star appearance during the length of the contract. December 4, 1959: It’s becoming clear that we’re involved in multiple bidding wars with the Yankees, and I’m fine with that. We’re gonna win the negotiations in the end if they want to be a part of baseball’s future here on the lake. You have to aim big to compete, and we’re putting in the effort ... here’s hoping we’ll have more news for fans by Christmas. December 15, 1959: We’ve made a move to improve our bullpen through the rule five draft, taking Paul LaPalme from the Boston Red Sox. LaPalme, even at age 36, has great movement and control, with a changeup and knuckleball combo that allowed him to put up a 1-0 record with two saves and a 2.87 ERA last year in 25 appearances out of the Red Sox bullpen. He put up a 2-1 record with three saves and a 3.05 ERA for AAA Minneapolis, striking out 34 batters in 38.1 innings, with 1.3 WAR. He may be an average reliever, but I am hopeful he can become a high leverage middle innings guy for us, with the potential to handle setup for Wells and Kuykendall. He’ll earn $28,400 this year and is arbitration eligible after the season if he makes it all the way. January 3, 1960: It’s official: Ernie Banks is coming back to Chicago, but this time on the South Side! He’ll be switching to shortstop, and has agreed to a massive $3.5 million deal that starts this year at $400,000, peaking with three seasons where he’ll earn $510,000 per year (1963-65) ... at this point in his career he’ll have a chance to opt out and try free agency again, or he can sign on for the years 1966-67 at $340,000 each. He has a no trade clause and will get our standard $25,000 for MVP and $4,000 for any All Star appearances. It is by far the biggest contract baseball has yet seen, but when you have three Gold Gloves and an MVP, you deserve to get paid. Fans are ecstatic, because they all can tell what kind of murder’s row we’re setting up to build up our pitchers. This is going to be a good year for baseball in the windy city! So far this offseason we’ve led all teams in acquired WAR, at 10.2, with Pittsburgh (4.0 WAR) and Cincinnati (1.0 WAR) lagging behind. And bigger than that, we’ve opened our pocket books and given the Yankees a beatdown, which I’m told has owner Brian Mayfield sounding off angrilly in the press. I’m all for it ... bring ‘em on! January 4, 1960: It’s official, we’ve managed to sign the trifecta! Jim Piersall signed a nine year deal worth $2.7 million, starting at $244,000 this year and rising to $360,000 in 1964, after which he has an option to go for free agency or stay for the final four years at $304,000 each. He has a no-trade clause and the requisite $25,000 bonus for an MVP and $4,000 for an All Star appearance. Because of the acquisitions of Piersall and Post, we have agreed to a deal with the Cleveland Guardians to send them Norm Siebern and Felipe Alou, in exchange for 23-year-old reliever Freddie Burdette, a four star player who has a 98 mile fastball he combos with a sinker, both of which have great movement and he can control them with finesse. An undrafted prospect, Burdette has the kind of stuff you rarely see in a bullpen guy, and he was 5-4 last year with Cleveland, saving 11 games with a 3.71 ERA through 70.1 innings over 44 appearances. He’s got the potential to join Wells as our 8th inning stopper and backup closer, and dramatically improves our bullpen in one swoop. We’ll finish the offseason with 12.1 WAR gained through our free agent and trade acquisitions, and if we can’t make a push for the playoffs with this team then I deserve to lose my job, because this is a dream lineup. Of course we’re going to have a total player payroll of $2.7 million this year because of it, but our owner had already authorized up to $3 million, and we’re heading toward spring with nearly $300,000 still available in straight-up cash. January 15, 1960: Nobody made the cut for the Hall of Fame this year, and it wasn’t even close. We should have some big names becoming eligible soon, however, so expect more players to get in as the decade progresses. February 9, 1960: Our owner is ecstatic about our progress, and we’re on track right now to see our season ticket sales jump nearly 20%, though I’m still hopeful to find ways to attract the casual fans back to Comiskey so we can exceed our goal of 27,000 fans per game this year. March 12, 1960: We’re a week into spring training games, and Bill Fischer has strained his hamstring, so he’s going to miss two to three months of the season. We’ve moved him onto the 60-day IL and will proceed accordingly. March 15, 1960: I’m glad we put in the search for bullpen help, because we’ve now lost Bob Rush due to shoulder inflamation; he’ll be out for four to five months and will be lucky if he can return in time for an August playoff push. April 1, 1960: Jim Donohue has added himself a passable slider over the course of the offseason, and has been working on his endrance, whilch has allowed his overall ratings to go up to three stars with even higher potential! So far in spring training games he’s thrown 8.2 innings of work with a 1.04 ERA and two saves, striking out nearly one player per inning, so he’s likely earned his spot as a full-time member of our bullpen for the coming season. April 9, 1960: We have finished our series of spring training games, and we finished tied with the Washington Senators at 19-11, with the New York Yankees a game behind at 18-12. Pittsburgh dominated the NL, finishing 21-9, four games ahead of the San Francisco Giants (17-13) and five up on both the Cubs and the Reds, who were 16-14. We all know the games themselves don’t matter, but we’ve seen a lot that makes us excited for this upcoming season, including four players who had three homers each (Minoso, Morgan, Post and Stephens) and five who had 10 or more RBIs (Minoso, Post, Spencer, Bailey and Stephens). All our pitchers were solid, but Kralick stood out with a 4-0 record and a 1.00 ERA through 27 innings ... he may have pitched himself into the top spot in our rotation. We’ll announce our opening day roster in a few days ... we open our season with a home game against Kansas City on the 19th, followed by a day off and another game against the A’s on the 21st. We’ll then finish April with three on the road against Detroit, two in Kansas City, and then one at home against Cleveland and four against Detroit, with our first doubleheader of the year in Kansas City on May 1st. We’ve also been notified that this will be the last year with a 154-game MLB season ... next season the current Washington Senators will be moving to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, where they’ll become known as the Twins. In their place, a new “Washington Senators” team will be setting up as an expansion team, ensuring that the fans in our nation’s capital will be guaranteed crappy baseball for years to come -- while the team they love, that has shown sudden improvement early this spring, will be leaving them in the lurch. On the west coast, Los Angeles will get a second team, which will be known as the Angels. The AL will have 10 teams and the NL eight, until 1962, when the league will add teams in Houston (the Colt ‘45s) and New York (the Mets). Beginning in 1961 we will play a 162 game season. In other news, it is looking like Bobby Kuykendall may not make the opening day roster ... he has struggled to keep up this spring, and Jim Donohue has improved significantly, so he is likely to take over as a multi-inning closer. April 12, 1960: Though we don’t have a game for a week, we’ve gone ahead and finalized our opening day rosters ahead of the first games of the year around the league: *Lineup* C - Ed Bailey 1B - Minnie Minoso 2B - Bobby Morgan 3B - Daryl Spencer SS - Ernie Banks LF - Wally Post CF - Jim Piersall RF - Willie Davis Bench: Jerry Zimmerman, Don Bacon, Luis Aparicio, Gene Stephens, Mike Hershberger *Starters* 1 - Jack Kralick 2 - Jim O’Toole 3 - Chuck Stobbs 4 - Stan Williams 5 - Billy Pierce CL - Jim Donohue ST - Freddie Burdette SE - Ron Wells MR - Ed Roebuck, Garland Shifflett, Paul LaPalme LR - Bennie Daniels The BNN listing of the top 100 prospects in baseball has been updated, and Kansas City’s Rico Carty (#2) and Pete Rose (#5) are way up there. Tommy Harper comes in for us at #17, and he’ll spend the year with our AAA affiliate in San Diego. Here is the full listing of our top 250 prospects and where they stand right now: #17 - LF Tommy Harper (AAA San Diego) #48 - RHP Fred Newman (AA Lincoln) #49 - C Jim Pagliaroni (AAA San Diego) #75 - 2B Pedro Gonzalez (AAA San Diego) #93 - RHP Tom Dukes (DE Pensacola) #111 - Gerry Arrigo (AAA San Diego) #129 - 3B Coco Laboy (A Charleston) #156 - C Doug Camilli (AAA San Diego) #169 - C Charles Boone (BC Idaho Falls) #177 - RHP Bob Heffner (AAA San Diego) #180 - RHP Garland Shifflett (MLB) #197 - LF Bob Farley (AAA San Diego) #213 - LHP Paul Knechtges (A Charleston) #221 - SS Robert Roman (AAA San Diego Right now our farm is nicely stocked with mid-level prospects, but as for uppler level guys we’re still ranked second from last, just ahead of the Pirates. Kansas City’s farm is now ranked second, behind only the Cubs, whose farm includes catcher Joe Torre (#4), center fielder Boog Powell (#21), Pitcher Jack Fisher (#22), reliever Diego Segui (#23) and catcher Ellie Hendricks (#26). __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

11-29-2024, 06:52 PM	#124
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	April 19, 1960: For the most part, last week’s action was in the National League ... Boston and Washington were the first AL teams to face off yesterday afternoon, and Boston whupped them 9-2 to get things going. We got 37,200 fans here in Chicago to come out to Comiskey to watch us play the Athletics, most of whose prospects remain in the minors -- so we come in with a juggernaut lineup while they’re clearly aimed at maintaining the status quo and stockpiling more picks. Our two aces, Jack Kralick and Milt Pappas, faced off for the first time, and the honor of batting in our first run of the season went to Minnie Minoso who, with bases loaded in the bottom of the second, hit an RBI single into left to give us the lead 1-0. Willie Davis reached first on a fielder’s choice that scored another, and we went into the third inning leading 2-0. Daryl Spencer hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead, and in the bottom of the eighth Piersall hit a solo homer and Bobby Morgan scored off a single by Minoso to make it a five-run lead. Kralick completed his first game of the year, a two-hit shutout with a walk and three strikeouts, and we won this one 5-0. We outhit the Athletics 11-2, led by leadoff man Minoso, who hit three times for two RBIs. April 21, 1960: Jim O’Toole took on Glenn McMinn, a 27-year-old pitcher the Athletics drafted in the Rule 5 back in December who will be making his major league debut after a 17-9 season and 3.28 ERA last year for AAA Montreal, where he struck out 120 batters in 227.2 innings.And the A’s got off to a much stronger start in the beginning of this one, scoring two in the top of the first off a triple by Ron Fairly and then adding a run with a sac-fly by second baseman Jose Pagan. But Ernie Banks hit an RBI double to put us on the board in the bottom of the inning, and Ed Bailey added a run when Ed Bailey hit an RBI single, though Bailey got greedy and was taken out trying for second. The A’s got a homer off the bat of Pagan in the top of the fourth to give them a 4-2 lead, and they held that lead into the seventh inning stretch. But we showed signs of life in the bottom of the seventh, when Piersall and Sievers both walked, but Piersall tried to steal third and was out by a mile. Morgan made it to third off a fly-out to center by Spencer, and Mike Hershberger came out to pinch-hit for O’Toole, walking to bring up Minoso. Morgan scored off a wild pitch and Minoso took first base on balls, but we weren’t able to get the tying run across. Ron Wells took over on the mound in the top of the eighth, getting us through the inning around a pair of hits by Billy Klaus and Walt Bond, and with two outs on us in the bottom of the eighth Wally Post hit a solo shot out of left to tie the game up! Freddy Burdette took over with two outs and men on first and second in the top of the ninth, and he got Frank House to bat himself out to center and we were into the bottom of the ninth with a chance to seal it. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Luis Aparicio came in to pinch hit, and he was walked to put the go-ahead run on first. Minoso singled up the gap and drove him over to third, following behind him to give us two in scoring position! That’s when Willie Davis walked it off with a shallow bloop into center, and we won this one 5-4! Freddie Burdette only had to make one out, but it was enough to get him a win, though O’Toole set him up well with four hits, a walk, four runs and four strikeouts in his seven innings. Wells pitched 1.2 innings with five hits and no runs scored, and we won despite being outhit 9-6 by the A’s. The difference was walks ... they walked nine of our batters, while O’Toole’s single walk was the only free bag we offered. Minoso led the way with two hits, two walks and a run scored, while Banks and Post each had a hit, a walk and an RBI. We’ll hit the road tomorrow for three games against the 2-0 Detroit Tigers, which will be followed by a pair in Kansas City. Detroit opened their season with two games on the road, beating the Guardians 4-1 and 6-3, so I don’t expect them to be wins we’ll take easily. April 22, 1960: Chuck Stobbs got his first start of the year, facing Detroit’s Don Choate, who was 4-3 in his rookie season last year with a 4.20 ERA and 24 K’s through 55.2 innings, starting five times with seven bullpen appearances. Minoso scored to put us in the lead 1-0 in the top of the first thanks to a Banks RBI single, but Detroit was quick to answer with a pair off a Virdon RBI single and a sac-fly by Andy Carey in the bottom of the inning. Ernie Banks hit his first homer of the season in the top of the third, driving in two and putting us into the lead again, and we brought Ed Roebuck out to pitch in the bottom of the sixth still leading 3-2. Banks hit a solo shot out of left in the top of the eighth for his second homer of the night, and Ron Wells came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning, getting three quick outs to strand a runner on third. Jim Donohue came out in the bottom of the ninth, still leading by a pair, getting one out quickly before Tom Haller hit a 420-footer out of center to cut our lead to one. With two outs, he blew it with a double by Russ Snyder ... Don Mincher scored a run to tie it, and Don Blasingame slid safely into home as the Tigers won this one 5-4. Stobbs gave us five innings with six hits, two walks, two runs and two strikeouts, and Roebuck and Wells each got holds, combining for three innings with a single hit. But Donahue blew the save and took the loss, getting two outs while allowing two hits, two walks and three earned runs. They outhit us 9-8, our team led by Ernie Banks who hit three times for two runs and four RBIs. April 23, 1960: Stan Williams made his season debut to face Detroit’s Bill Wight, as we hoped to hand the Tigers their first loss after a tough one yesterday. And it was a cold one up here in the Motor City, with mid-day temps in the low 40s with winds gusting past 12 miles per hour. This turned into a rare pitchers duel that still featured a lot of hits ... we came up to hit in the seventh still knotted up and scoreless, but we’d outhit them 7-4. Ernie Banks subbed in to replace Aparicio at the plate and at shortstop, getting a leadoff single into right to take first safely, but it didn’t spark a rally ... we went down three in a row and spoiled a really good opportunity. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, and he kept us tied up through two solid innings ... in the top of the ninth, with two outs, Banks got himself another base hit, and Hershberger pinch hit for Daryl Spencer, striking out swinging to end any chance of a rally. Don Bacon took over on the hot corner, and Garland Shifflett came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning with one out and Bill Virdon on second. Andy Carey grounded out to first but drove Virdon over to third base, and then Johnny Callison hit one straight to Banks, who made the catch but couldn’t get the throw to home plate in time ... Detroit walked it off and won 1-0 in a brutal battle to stay undefeated. Burdette took the loss, falling to 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA, allowing a hit and a run while striking out two in two innings. Williams set him up well, with six innings and just four hits, walking one and striking out five, and though Shifflett did give up the only run of the game, it was unearned. We outhit them 10-6 but couldn’t get it done, with Willie Davis leading the pack with three hits, as Minoso and Banks each hit twice. Piersall and Post have started out on slumps, and it stands to reason that once this lineup heats up it’s going to be tough to stop ... we’re just not heating up. April 24, 1960: We have one last shot at Detroit in this series, and Billy Pierce took the mound for his first game of the year, facing Bob Shaw (1-0, 1.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 6 K’s, 0.78 WHIP). Ed Bailey hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth to put us up 1-0, and Willie Davis hit an RBI single to extaned the lead in the top of the fifth, though Detroit got on the board in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single by Bill Virdon. In the bottom of the eighth, Granny Hamner hit a two-run blast out of right to put them on top by a run, and for the third day in a row we lost to Detroit by a single goddamned run, 3-2. They’re either brutally good or exceptionally lucky, but thanks to this series we’re now 2-3 while they remain undefeated. Pierce fell to 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA, allowing eight hits, two walks and three earned runs with five strikeouts in his complete game, and we lost despite outhitting them 9-8 ... the top of our lineup continues to find ways to hit and score, with Minoso hitting twice and Davis putting up a hit and an RBI ... but the bottom of the lineup is a mess; Post is hitting .105, Piersall is hitting .188, Morgan is hitting .125 and Spencer is hitting .176; surely things have to heat up for us soon. Maybe two games in Kansas City will spark something. April 25, 1960: Jack Kralick (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 3 K’s, 0.33 WHIP) got the start, facing Kansas City’s Dean Stone who is making his season debut after going 3-14 last year with a 5.77 ERA through 132.2 innings. Ed Bailey hit an RBI single in the top of the first to put us up 1-0, but we couldn’t find a way to add on any insurance runs, so the pressure was on Kralick, who still held the one run lead into the bottom of the eighth, having thrown 111 pitches. And his luck ran out in the bottom of the inning, with one out as the A’s scored two with a homer by Walt Bond ... this is an absolute nightmare, a hitter’s lineup that simply can’t score runs, keeping intense pressure on our pitching staff. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch from there, getting out of the inning without further damage, and Minoso led off with a walk in the top of the ninth as our top hitters were all up to hit. Willie Davis popped out harmlessly to center field and Ernie Banks hit into a fielder’s choice, and Ed Bailey flew out to short, ending this one as a 2-1 defeat ... we’re getting killed in close games, and we’re not putting up runs. Kralick’s scoreless streak ended after 16.1 innings, and though he lasted seven innings with six hits, two walks and two runs, striking out three, he still took the loss. He’ll start the year with a 1-1 record and a stellar 1.12 ERA. We actually outhit them 8-6 which is hard to believe, Banks hit three times and has a .440 average through our first six games, and Morgan had two hits and a walk, getting his average up above .200 ... but we’re struggling to see what’s up with Post in particular, he’s had 23 at-bats and hit twice, walking once, so even his OBP is a miserable .125. April 26, 1960: It’s hard to believe, but after starting out so confidently with a pair of wins, we’ve now lost four in a row and are tied with the A’s with this feeling like a game we truly NEEDED to win, since we’re already 1-4 in one-run games. Jim O’Toole (0-0, 5.14 ERA, 7.0 IP, 4 K’s, 0.71 WHIP) started against Glenn McMinn (0-0, 4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP, 1 K, 1.20 WHIP). Minoso scored a run off a double by Post in the top of the first, Post hitting third in the lineup ahead of Banks to see if that could draw better hitting opportunities. Piersall then hit an RBI single to score Post, and we went into the bottom of the first leading 2-0. We were cruising along until the bottom of the third, when O’Toole gave up five runs including a three-run homer to the damned pitcher, blowing a 3-1 lead and sending us into the top of the fourth trailing by three. He gave up two more in the fourth and I was done ... trailing 8-4 in the bottom of the fifth we brought out long reliever Bennie Daniels, and this one just became an ugly f---ing mess. By the time Paul LaPlaine came out to pitch in the bottom of the eighth we trailed by seven runs, and that’s how it stayed ... the A’s beat us 11-4 and the Chicago press club is heating up with distain for our “revitalized” roster. O’Toole is now ice cold, lasting just four innings and allowing 11 hits, a walk and eight runs, three of which were earned. Worse, though, we were outslugged 17-10, led by Banks with three hits and a run, and by Piersall with two hits and two RBIs. The loss dropped us to 2-5, winless on the road, and we’re only a game out of last place. We’ve got an off day tomorrow and then play Cleveland (2-4) for one game at home, followed by four more agianst the still undefeated Tigers, who are 6-0 at the moment. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

11-29-2024, 06:57 PM	#125
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	April 28, 1960: Detroit took their first loss of the year yesterday, losing to the Athletics (!!!) 8-7 in 11 innings. Tonight we returned to Chicago to play Cleveland in front of 22,800 fans on another 44-degree night with high winds blowing out to left ... and one of us slumping teams had to be able to get something going. Chuck Stobbs (0-0, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 K’s, 1.60 WHIP) started against Robin Roberts (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 5 K’s, 0.33 WHIP), and this one started out pretty much as usual, with Cleveland picking up runs in the second and fourth, holding that lead until the bottom of the sixth when we got a solo homer off Bailey to cut their lead to one run. In the bottom of the seventh, Stobbs hit an RBI single to tie it up and Minnie Minoso hit a two-run RBI single to push us into the lead, but Willie Davis was injured stealing second (safely) with two outs, so we had to bring in Gene Stephens to pinch run and take over in right field, heading into the top of the eighth leading 4-2. Ron Wells took over for Stobbs on the mound and with two outs they got a run back thanks to a solo homer by Norm Cash. But this time our offense came to our aid ... with one out in the bottom of the eighth Daryl Spencer hit an RBI double that scored two runs, and Ron Wells hit a two-run homer to extend the lead to five runs. Wells stayed out and finished the job and we won 8-3, snapping the losing streak and hopefully sending ourselves back into the right direction. Stobbs improved to 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, allowing six hits, two walks and two runs with six strikeouts through seven innings, and Wells got the two inning save, with a hit, a walk, a strikeout and a run. We outhit them 10-7, led by Spencer with two hits, two runs and two RBIs. Now we get the real challenge, four weekend games against the now 6-2 Detroit Tigers, including a Sunday doubleheader which will be our first of the season. April 29, 1960: Stan Williams (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 5 K’s, 0.83 WHIP) started against Detroit’s Bob Shaw (2-0, 1.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 6 K’s, 1.06 WHIP). Detroit outscored us 3-1 in the second inning, but in the bottom of the fifth we got an RBI double by Minoso, and tied it up with an RBI single by Davis, taking the lead with an RBI single by Banks ... strining hits together, that’s the way to get it done! They tied it back up in the top of the sixth with an RBI double by Callison, and when Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in the top of the eighth we were still knotted up at 4-4. Shifflett took over in the top of the ninth, getting us through without damage, and we walked it off in the bottom of the inning with a double by Minnie Minoso, getting us the 5-4 win. Shifflett took the win in his second relief appearance and remained unblemished, and we outhit the Tigers 11-8, led by Minoso with two hits, a walk and two RBIs. April 30, 1960: Billy Pierce (0-1, 3.38 ERA, 8.0 IP, 5 K’s, 1.25 WHIP) pitched against Detroit’s Paul Foytack, who is making his season debut. We took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Wally Post, and Willie Davis hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to two runs. Ron Wells took over in the top of the eighth, and Burdette took over in the ninth, shutting them down as we won 2-0! Pierce took the win, improving to 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA, allowing just four hits, three walks and four strikeouts in seven innings. Wells got his second hold, and Burdette earned his first save, improving his ERA to 1.59 through 5.1 innings, striking out one batter tonight with two hits. Each team had six hits tonight, ours led by Davis, who had two hits, a run and an RBI. We’ll finish the month out with a 5-5 record, and though we’ll start the month of May out from sixth place in the AL, the top six teams are separated by just a single win. We’ll play Detroit again for two games tomorrow, and we’re hoping to keep our win streak going (it currently stands at three games, the best current streak going in the AL. May 1, 1960: It’s our first doubleheader day of the new season, and we’re back at .500, so it’s a fresh start as we try to gain more ground against the 6-4 Tigers. Jack Kralick (1-1, 1.12 ERA, 16.0 IP, 6 K’s, 0.69 WHIP) pitched against Tom Brewer (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 16.0 IP, 6 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) in game one, and we got going quickly, scoring two runs on back to back RBI doubles by Banks and Bailey, with an RBI single by Piersall putting us up 3-0 heading into the top of the second. Banks hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third, his third of the season, and that was all we needed; Kralick pitched a complete game and we won this one 4-0. Kralick allowed just four hits in the shutout, striking out six with no walks, throwing just 84 pitches to get it all done, while we outhit them 9-4. Banks led the way with three hits, two runs and two RBIs, proving to be the player on the team who has best adjusted to his transition, though Post and Piersall are starting to heat up. The second game featured Jim O’Toole (0-1, 5.73 ERA, 11.0 IP, 5 K’s, 1.55 WHIP) pitching against Howie Reed (0-1, 6.75 ERA, 1.1 IP, 1 K, 5.25 WHIP), a matchup that, on paper, seemed perfect for helping him get back into a groove. We took the lead in the bottom of the first off a Jim Piersall walk, but they tied us up in the top of the second with an RBI single by Bob Tillman, taking the lead in the top of the third with a two-run homer by Johnny Callison -- so O’Toole’s rough patch continued. Thankfully our bats picked up the pace in the bottom of the fourth, our guys scoring off a groundout by Jerry Zimmerman, a single by O’Toole, a fielder’s choice hit by Minnie Minoso and an RBI single by Davis to put us up 5-3 heading into the fifth inning. Ed Roebuck took over for O’Toole in the top of the sixth still leading 5-4, He got us safely into the stretch, and we got a run back in the bottom of the seventh off Banks’ fourth homer of the season (and second of the afternoon), but they got that run back in the top of the eighth and we brought out Ron Wells with Lee Walls on first and one out. He gave up three more runs and we went into the bottom of the inning trailing by a pair. Paul LaPalme came out in the top of the ninth, gave up three more runs, and we were out of this one, losing in the end 11-7 ... a really rough night for our bullpen arms. Wells blew the save, his first, and took the loss, falling to 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA after giving up two hits, two runs (one earned) and walking a batter. But Detroit outhit us 14-8, and only five of those hits were due to the bullpen, so it’s hard to say who gets the blame exept hey, we can play again tomorrow. Minnie Minoso led the way with two hits, two runs and an RBI. In a long season like this, thank God for there being triple digits worth of games left. But we’re now 6-6 and heading into a brutal road stretch, with no home games until the 17th. Our upcoming series include three games at Baltimore (7-6), three at Washington (4-9) and a single game in New York (7-4), followed by a day off and then three at Boston (7-6) and four at Cleveland (4-7). We’ve yet to win a road game, and if that continues we’ll start to see some separation in this league which currently features six teams within a game and a half of each other. May 2, 1960: Stobbs was up in the rotation, but with seven games this week, I don’t feel ready to pitch anyone on short rest, so I’ve gone with Bernie Daniels (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 0 K’s, 2.00 WHIP) in a bullpen start, facing Baltimore’s Don Mossi (1-0, 1.12 ERA, 8.0 IP, 2 K’s, 1.00 WHIP). Minnie Minoso scored a run in the top of the first when Ed Bailey reached on error, but Orioles slugger Frank Thomas hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first and Mossi hit an RBI single in the bottom of the third to put them up 2-1. We tied it in the top of the fourth with a solo bomb by Bernie Daniels, and in the top of the fifth Bobby Morgan hit a three-run slam to put us ahead 5-2! We brought Ed Roebuck out in the bottom of the sixth with a three run lead to protect, and he failed miserably, giving up four runs as the Orioles practically laughed us off the field. Paul LaPalme had to come in with two outs to even get us out of there, and he gave up two just trying. He stayed out in the seventh and in the eighth we went to Shifflett, who gave up another pair to put this one way out of reach, Baltimore winning cleanly 10-5. This one was definitely NOT on Daniels, who pitched five excellent innings with just five hits, a strikeout and two earned runs. But Roebuck (blown save plus loss) got just two outs with five hits, a walk and SIX earned runs, and at least through three bullpen appearances this year he’s looking like a shell of himself. If things don’t improve, there’s going to have to be an overhaul of our bullpen for sure, or our starters are going to have to start all pitching complete games. Baltimore slaughtered us on hits, outhitting us 16-8, with Daniels (two hits, a run and an RBI) and Morgan (his three-run slam) as our two strongest offensive players. May 3, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 12.0 IP, 8 K’s, 1.33 WHIP) started against Glen Hobbie (0-1, 10.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 2 K’s, 1.09 WHIP). Wally Post hit a two run homer to put us up in the top of the first, his second homer of the year, and we picked up another pair in the top of the fourth when Piersall hit an RBI single and then scored off an RBI single by Morgan to give us a 4-1 lead. Stobbs didn’t mess around from there, taking firm control and pitching a complete game as we held tough to win 4-1. He allowed just thre hits, a walk and the one run, striking out three as he improved to 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA. We outhit Baltimore 7-3, led by Post who hit twice with two runs and two RBIs, finally getting his average up to .208 for the season. May 4, 1960: Stan Williams (0-0, 2.77 ERA, 13.0 IP, 10 K’s, 0.85 WHIP) started tonight against Dave Wickersham (1-1, 5.87 ERA, 23.0 IP, 7 K’s, 1.35 WHIP) as we try for back to back wins on the road, having finally broken through and scored our first road win. Jerry Zimmerman had to get pulled in the bottom of the second inning due to hamstring issues, and we may have to call Jim Pagliaroni up as a backup tomorrow, but Bailey came in to replace him and we had a 2-0 lead already thanks to Zimmerman’s two-run double in the top of the second. Unfortunately they tied it up in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer by Frank Thomas, but Daryl Spencer answered with a two-run blast of his own in the top of the fourth, so we were staying in this one! We added an RBI single by Piersall in the top of the seventh, and Freddie Burdette came in with two outs and a man on first in the bottom of the seventh, getting the out we needed to maintain that lead. Jim Donohue came out with an out and men on first and second in the bottom of the ninth, still leading by a pair ... he struck out pinch hitter Rod Kanehl, and got us out of there when Jerry Lumpe hit one to Banks at short, whose spectacular throw to first saved the win for us 5-3. This was a big confidence booster for our bullpen ... we’ve had conversations with Kansas City about potentially acquiring another “ace” bullpen arm via Bob Miller, but I don’t want to give up what they’re asking if it’s just a matter of giving the current group of guys more time to gel. Stan Williams finally got his first win, improving to 1-0 with a 2.75 ERA through three starts ... he allowed five hits, a walk and two runs with five strikeouts through 6.2 innings, and Burdette held it through 1.2 innings with two hits and a run. Donohue still has not developed great control of his stellar pitches, but he got through a tough spot tonight with just 11 pitches thrown, and they didn’t get a run off him. So that’s real progress. We outhit the Orioles 12-7, led by Piersall (two hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI) and by Spencer (two hits, a walk, two runs and two RBIs). Zimmerman is now dealing with both a hyperextended knee and the hamstring issue that’s been nagging him. We’ve put him on the IL for 15 days, and have called up Pagliaroni from AAA. May 5, 1960: Billy Pierce (1-1, 1.80 ERA, 15.0 IP, 9 K’s, 1.13 WHIP) pitched in game one against the Senators’ Whitey Ford (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 6.2 IP, 5 K’s, 1.35 WHIP) -- Ford became a free agent in November and signed a minor league contract with a major league option with the Senators a month later. We took the lead in the top of the third with an RBI double by Willie Davis, but Willie McCovey hit a homer in the bottom of the fourth to tie it back up. Wally Post hit a homer in the top of the sixth to drive in another pair via his third homer of the season, and yet again the Senators answered with back to back RBI singles to tie it up again in the bottom of the inning. Minnie Minoso hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth to put us up a run, and with two outs in the bottom of the ninth they tied it up with an RBI single by Nate Smith, though Pierce did get us out of the inning and into extras. Ron Wells took over in the bottom of the 10th, and they walked it off with a one-out RBI single by Tommy Davis as we lost this one 5-4. Wells took the loss, falling to 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA, allowing two hits and two walks with the one run. That blew it for Pierce, who had done everything in his power to win ... nine innings with eight hits, two walks, four runs (two earned) and four strikeouts to keep his ERA at 1.88. We outhit them 11-10, led by Willie Davis with three hits, a walk and an RBI. May 6, 1960: Jack Kralick (2-1, 0.72 ERA, 25.0 IP, 12 K’s, 0.60 WHIP) started against Bob Veale (0-1, 10.29 ERA, 14.0 IP, 14 K’s, 2.36 WHIP). Willie Davis hit a two-run homer to put us up in the top of the first, his first homer of the season, and officially all eight non-pitchers in our lineup now have hit at least one dinger this season. But Kralick was livid when two errors led to two runs in the bottom of the inning, tying the score ... both were unearned, but when you care about your job as much as he does, it’s hard to let stuff like that slide. In the bottom of the third they got another run, this one earned via an RBI single by Tommy Davis, but we finally answered in the top of the fifth with an RBI double by Morgan to tie the game, taking the lead moments later with a groundout by Banks that let Piersall score from third. But this game looked a lot like yesterday’s, with yo-yo scoring all around ... Gene Freese tied it up with a double in the bottom of the fifth, and they took the lead back with another RBI single by Tommy Davis, and in the bottom of the seventh we had to bring out Ron Wells, still trailing by a run. He blew another chance with four runs in two innings, and we lost this one 9-4 when it had been so close for so long. Kralick got the loss, falling to 2-2 with a 1.45 ERA< allowing eight hits, two walks and five runs (three earned) while striking out three through six innings. Wells, meanwhile, allowed six hits with two walks, four runs and three strikeouts in two innings, and he now has a 7.71 ERA through 9.1 innings. He still has great stuff and middling control, and it’s getting to a point where I may have to find another option -- he pitched 95 innings last year and averaged five runs given up per game, so it’s not a problem that has appeared completely out of nowhere. It certainly didn’t help that they outhit us 14-10, but Piersall hit four times which was a great bright spot -- he just couldn’t get anywhere. - - - - - We’ve officially made a pair of trades this evening to shore up the bullpen. First, we’re sending the Phillies right fielder Mike Hershberger (#33 BNN) and middle infielder Robert Roman, a 22-year-old currently at AAA, in exchange for 26-year-old Raul Puig, a four star reliever with a great slider and a fastball with good life. More importantly, he has above average movement and control, so he can get the ball where he means to and keep it in the park for us. We then made a deal with our crosstown rivals, offering the Cubs 21-year-old reliever (and #78 BNN prospect) Jim Donohue, who has great stuff but almost no control or movement on his pitches, for Dick Drott, a 23-year-old with great stuff and movement plus a stronger three-pitch arsenal ... they’ve been using him as a starter, and we plan to convert him to a reliever role, where he’d still get solid innings as a multi-inning flamethrower. They sweetened the deal with $25,000 in cash, so our owner said go for it. These two trades have dramatically reshaped our bullpen for the remainder of this road trip. We’re waiving / DFAing Ed Roebuck, with the plan to move him to AAA once he’s not claimed. Meanwhile, Drott and Puig move into the pen as multi-inning middle relief options, as Wells, Daniels and Shifflett will be our long relief options when needed. Freddie Burdette, who so far has gone 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA and an 0.82 WHIP) will be our stopper / closer from the seventh inning on ... eventually Drott may move into a setup role as the season progresses, and Puig will be our high leverage guy. Here’s hoping this does what I aimed for, because we moved some solid players to get these guys, and we now need to let everyone build rapport and sink their teeth into these new roles. We’ve also called up #17 prospect Tommy Harper as an extra outfield backup and pinch hitting option. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

11-29-2024, 07:03 PM	#126
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	May 7, 1960: This is our last chance this series against Washington, and we’ve got Jim O’Toole (0-1, 6.19 ERA, 16.0 IP, 8 K’s, 1.69 WHIP) pitching against Bill Stafford (2-0, 4.09 ERA, 22.0 IP, 13 K’s, 1.27 WHIP). They scored first in the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer by Fred Valentine, their leadoff man. But Jim O’Toole drove in a run via Gene Stephens in the top of the second, and in the top of the third Bobby Morgan hit an RBI single to give us the lead, followed by a Stephens RBI single and a Spencer sac-fly that scored Tommy Harper -- the rookie scored his first run and batted in his first run in the same inning! Morgan hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth which was followed by an RBI double by Stephens to extend our lead to five runs, and we turned it into a blowout with four runs in the seventh ... that 10-1 lead heading into the stretch felt sweet as anything. It got ugly from there, and O’Toole took advantage, pitching a complete game six-hitter as we shut them down 13-1. O’Toole needed a game like this, walking two with five strikeouts and improving his record to 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA. And since we outhit them 20-6, we were able to let the new guys settle into the bullpen without having to pitch so soon after getting off their flights. Tommy Harper proved he was itching to get the call-up from AAA, leading the way with four hits, a walk, three runs and an RBI in his major league debut at age 19! And he wasn’t the only guy with a hot bat ... Gene Stephens hit four times as well, with a run and three more batted in. May 8, 1960: Today was a one-off game in New York before an off day tomorrow, and Chuck Stobbs (2-0, 2.14 ERA, 21.0 IP, 11 K’s, 0.95 WHIP) pitched for us against Vinegar Bend Mizell (3-0, 4.43 ERA, 22.1 IP, 7 K’s, 1.48 WHIP). Al Kaline, who signed a two year deal with the Yanks in the offseason, gave them the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, but in the top of the third we took the lead from them with a three-run Jim Piersall homer, his second of the season. Raul Puig made his White Sox debut in the bottom of the seventh still leading by a 3-2 margin, but Mizell batted in the tying run with a single, so Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in a tied ballgame in the bottom of the eighth. This one went into extra innings, but they hammered us in the bottom of the 10th with a leadoff triple by Kaline and a walk-off single by Mantle as they won it 4-3. Stobbs had six innings with five hits, a walk, a strikeout and two earned runs, but we had the win in our sights ... Puig blew the save with three hits and a run, and Burdette took the loss, falling to 1-2 with a 2.89 ERA ... he allowed four hits, a walk, a strikeout and a run in his two innings of work. But our bats didn’t help after the third inning, and New York took advantage, outhitting us 12-7. Piersall had three hits, a run and three RBIs to lead our team. Boston (10-9) is up next for three road games, and Cleveland (7-12) for four including a Sunday doubleheader. We’re currently 9-10 and in sixth place in the AL, but Boston is just one game up on us and in a two-way tie for second. Only the 12-4 Yankees have managed to stay consistently ahead of the pack so far this season. May 10, 1960: Stan Williams (1-0, 2.75 ERA, 19.2 IP, 15 K’s, 0.86 WHIP) started in our first Boston game of the year at Fenway, facing Richard Simoni (0-0, 1 SV, 0.82 ERA, 11.0 IP, 9 K’s, 0.82 WHIP). We took a quick three run lead in the top of the first thanks to a two-run single by Wally Post and an RBI single by Bobby Morgan. Williams was flying high through five innings, but he floundered in the sixth, and Bob Allison took full advantage, hitting a three run homer to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Dick Drott came out to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, still tied up at three all, and in the top of the eighth Ed Bailey hit a solo homer to put us back on top. But Drott, who had been on a roll in the seventh, barely winded, gave up a two-run blast by Marty Keough and an RBI double to Bob Johnson, and just like that we were up to hit in the top of the ninth needing two just to prolong the game. They brought out closer Steve Hamilton, known for his knuckler, and they shut us down quickly to win this one 6-4. Drott took the loss in two innings of work, allowing five hits, two walks and three runs, but his first inning showed a lot of promise. Until the bullpen comes together we’re going to need a lot from our starters, that’s just the bottom line. It didn’t help that we were outhit 11-7 in a park that has enough quirks to keep any visiting team off kilter. Post led the way with two hits and two RBIs, while Bailey added a hit, a run and an RBI. May 11, 1960: Jack Kralick (2-2, 1.45 ERA, 31.0 IP, 15 K’s, 0.81 WHIP) pitched against 37-year-old knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm (1-2, 7.43 ERA, 23.0 IP, 17 K’s, 1.74 WHIP) this afternoon, and we took the lead in the top of the third with a two-run homer by Willie Davis which was followed by a solo blast by Banks, his fifth of the year. We took full control from there, adding two in the fourth, three in the seventh and another in the eighth as we blasted the Red Sox 9-1. Kralick pitched another three-hit gem, striking out two batters without a walk and with just one unearned run ... the complete game improved his record to 3-2 with a 1.12 ERA. We outhit them 13-3, led by Daryl Spencer with four hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs, and by Banks who hit three times with a hit and three RBIs. May 12, 1960: Billy Pierce (1-1, 1.88 ERA, 24.0 IP, 13 K’s, 1.12 WHIP) got the start against George Brunet (2-0, 2.87 ERA, 31.1 IP, 20 K’s, 1.21 WHIP) in our third game in Boston, and this turned into a real duel. We went into the bottom of the seventh without a hit, Boston with two, but both teams were locked up at 0-0 ... that’s when they blew up Pierce for four runs, Puig taking over with runners on second and third and just one out, thanks to a sac-fly by Ron Hansen, a hit off an E8 error by Gus Triandos, and a two-run double by Willie Jones. Puig got the second out but gave up a two-run double to Nellie Fox, and this one was becoming a rout out of nowhere. Puig stayed out in the eighth but it didn’t matter, we got shut down by the Red Sox 6-1, Brunet pitching a complete game one-hitter. Pierce was solid as hell all night until the seventh inning ... in 6.1 innings he allowed six hits, a walk and six runs (four earned) with three strikeouts, but four of those hits were in the final inning. Puig got through 1.2 innings with just the one hit, and his runs belonged to Pierce. We got outhit 7-3 which was the real issue ... nobody was able to crack this one open for us before the Boston blowout in the seventh. Piersall “led” us with a hit, a walk and a run scored. May 13, 1960: Jim O’Toole (1-1, 4.32 ERA, 25.0 IP, 13 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) pitched against Cleveland’s Tom Cheney (1-3, 3.10 ERA ,29.0 IP, 21 K’s, 1.48 WHIP). In our first of a four game set. Our bats again couldn’t accomplish anything while the game was deadlocked, and in the bottom of the sixth a homer by Rocky Colavito put the Guardians up 1-0. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the seventh and we tied it up when Ernie Banks hit a solo shot in the eighth, a 409-footer that was his sixth of the year. Ron Wells came out in the bottom of the ninth still knotted up at 1-1, and our poor luck continued. With two outs and extra innings almost secured, Gordy Coleman hit an RBI double to walk it off for them 2-1. We outhit them 8-4, led by Banks’ homer, but couldn’t deliver in the clutch yet again. Wells took the loss, falling to 0-3 with an 8.10 ERA, allowing two walks and a run while striking out a batter. We’ve decided to send him back down to AAA and see if that helps him find his control, calling up right fielder Willie Kirkland as an extra option off the bench. May 14, 1960: It’s still early in the season, but I keep wondering when we’ll find a spark that gets us into an actual groove rather than floundering around in close games. Chuck Stobbs (2-0, 2.33 ERA, 27.0 IP, 12 K’s, 0.96 WHIP) pitched today ahead of the doubleheader tomorrow, facing ave Wegnerek (0-1, 5.59 ERA, 19.1 IP, 6 K’s, 1.81 WHIP) who Cleveland had pitching on short rest. The offense came fast in this one, when Bobby Morgan put us up 1-0 in the top of the first with a groundball single. Wegnerek answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the second, so we put up four runs in the third, two of them off a Bailey homer, followed by back to back solo blasts from Post and Morgan ... but the homers continued in the bottom of the inning, with Roger Maris and Red Wilson hitting blasts for the Guardians to keep them within two heading into the fourth inning. Willie Davis kept the homer train rolling with a solo leadoff in the top of the sixth to extend our lead to three, and Dick Drott came out to pitch after the stretch with the score still 6-3. We’d go on to bat around in the top of the eighth, adding four runs, and Drott pitched the rest of the way as we steamrolled them 10-3. Stobbs improved to 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA, allowing eight hits, two walks and three runs in six innings, striking out two, and Drott completed a three-inning save, with three hits and a walk as he improved his ERA to 5.40 off 43 pitches. We matched them 11-11 on hits, led by Bobby Morgan’s three hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs, while Minoso added two hits, two walks and three runs. May 15, 1960: We’re glad to have the win, because this doubleheader with us at 11-13 and the Guardians at 9-15 is a real chance to get our footing again ... we’re the two worst teams in the AL right now, but we’re also still just three games out of second place, so still a ton of room to maneuver with only the Yankees looking unsinkable. Stan Williams (1-0, 3.16 ERA, 25.2 IP, 21 K’s, 0.94 WHIP) pitched in game one against Ray Herbert, who is making his MLB debut after being called up on short rest from AAA where he’s gone 4-1 with a 3.96 ERA, 20 K’s in 36.1 innings, with a 1.51 WHIP. Cleveland scored three in the bottom of the first and then Williams kept them from doing anything else ... but in the bottom of the seventh we still trailed by three and had to go to Puig while we prayed for any energy from our offense. Puig wound up giving up three more in the eighth, however, and our team again looked completely lost, losing 6-0 in a game where our bats were outhit 14-3. This is just amazingly bad baseball from our team, and I’m at a loss to see how to fix it. Williams fell to 1-1 with a 3.41 ERA, allowing nine hits and three runs with a walk and two strikeouts, while Puig allowed five hits, a walk and three runs with a strikeout in his two innings. Nobody on offense is worth a second thought right now. Jack Kralick (3-2, 1.12 ERA, 40.0 IP, 17 K’s, 0.70 WHIP) pitched on short rest against Cleveland’s Jim Wilson (1-0, 3.68 ERA, 29.1 IP, 13 K’s, 1.57 WHIP) in the day’s second game. Cleveland got solo homers from Norm Siebern and Norm Cash in the bottom of the first inning and then Kralick locked in like I’ve never seen, and got NO SUPPORT from our bats once again ... we lost 2-0 despite him pitching a complete game with seven hits ... Cleveland wound up with eight hits and the two that counted. So Kralick fell to 3-3 and a 1.31 ERA, walking two with four strikeouts and the two earned runs against him, again with no offensive players finding a way to make anything happen. We’re now 26 games into a 154 game season and we’re 11-15 overall, DEAD LAST in the American League (well ... tied for dead last with three others, all of us trailing the Yankees by seven games). The one bright spot is now we get to head back home, though it’s a question whether any of our fans want to watch this clown show. We’ll play three against Boston (16-10), two against the Yankees (16-6), a Sunday doubleheader against Washington (13-14) and a pair against Baltimore (12-17) before heading to Kansas City (12-15) for four road games. Attached Images __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

11-30-2024, 05:58 PM	#127
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	May 17, 1960: Billy Pierce (1-2, 2.67 ERA, 30.1 IP, 16 K’s, 1.12 WHIP) pitched against Boston’s George Brunet (3-0, 2.45 ERA, 40.1 IP, 23 K’s, 1.09 WHIP), who punished us severely the last time he faced us. And this game was the epitome of an antacid game ... Boston took the lead in the top of the second off an RBI single by Keough, so we answered with a solo homer by Banks in the bottom of the third. They retook the lead with a solo homer by Bob Allison in the top of the sixth, and in the top of the ninth they added on with another RBI single by Allison, taking their two-run lead into the bottom of the ninth as we faced their reliever Terry Fox. Willie Davis hit a stunning two-run double to tie it up, no outs, however, and just a moment later Minnie Minoso managed to walk us off with a double to stun the Red Sox 4-3! Too close for my comfort, but I’ll take it if it helps us gel as a team and start stringing some wins together! Pierce pitched a complete game 10-hitter, walking four and giving up three earned runs with four strikeouts ... he refused to hand the ball over, and threw 140 pitches in the process. We managed to outhit them 12-10 thanks to a single and three doubles in the bottom of the ninth. Daryl Spencer led the team with four hits and a run, while Banks put up two hits, a run and an RBI along with his seventh homer. May 18, 1960: Jim O’Toole (1-1, 3.77 ERA, 31.0 IP, 16 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) got the start against Frank Baumann (3-3, 3.98 ERA, 43.0 IP, 18 K’s, 1.33 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by O’Toole, adding on when Minoso reached first on a dropped throw from the shortstop, giving us a 2-0 lead heading into the top of the third. Freddie Burdette came out in the top of the eighth to protect the two-run shutout lead, and when our bats couldn’t add on anything he stayed out and completed the rest as we held the Red Sox off 2-0. This is the kind of game that gives us fits, so I’m glad to see we survived, though I’m still stunned by our lack of hitting ... we were outhit 5-4 tonight, led only by O’Toole, with his RBI, and by Post with a hit and a run. O’Toole improved to 2-1 with a 3.08 ERA, allowing just three hits, three walks with three walks and three strikeouts in his seven innings, and Burdette got his second save, two innings with just two hits as his ERA improved to 2.02. May 19, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (2-0, 2.73 ERA, 33.0 IP, 14 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) pitched against Bob Kuzawa (2-3, 4.30 ERA, 29.1 IP, 13 K’s, 1.57 WHIP) in our third game against Boston this series, and after a first inning with two runs apiece, we managed to keep the hitting going ... it all started with the two-run blast by Ed Bailey in the bottom of the first that tied it up, and then Ernie Banks hit a two-run homer to put us up 4-2 in the bottom of the third. Minoso hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth which was followed by a two-run double by Piersall, giving us an 8-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth. Banks hit a two-run double in the sixth to add on, but Stobbs gave up four runs in the top of the seventh and had to be replaced by Paul LaPalme with one out and a man on first ... he got us through the inning and the next, and with a five-run lead in the top of the ninth he stayed out to finish things off. With one out and men on first and second, Dick Drott took over, loading the bases with a walk by Frank Robinson. But he got the outs we needed, shutting them down without any of the runs scoring and we won our third in a row, this time 11-6! Stobbs gave us 6.1 innings with nine hits, two walks and six earned runs, blowing his ERA up to 3.66, but LaPalme pitched two innings with a hit a walk and a strikeout, and Drott came in to get the final two outs with just a walk, so Stobbs still kept the win. We outhit Boston 14-10, led by Ed Bailey with four hits, a walk, two runs and three RBIs, while Banks hit three times with three runs and three RBIs. With three wins in a row against the Red Sox, we’ve pulled within two games of them and climbed to fourth in the AL, just a game behind Washington. Now we get to see if it was a fluke, as New York (17-7) is coming to town for a pair, followed by a pair against the 15-14 Senators on Sunday. May 20, 1960: Jack Kralick (3-3, 1.31 ERA, 48.0 IP, 21 K’s, 0.79 WHIP) has been red hot and yet has struggled to get wins because of our lack of hitting in his games. Tonight he took on Billy O’Dell (5-1, 1.47 ERA, 49.0 IP, 26 K’s, 0.76 WHIP) in a matchup that certainly wasn’t going to be easy to win. It turned quickly into a knife fight from the mound, and we finally made some blood flow in the bottom of the sixth when Daryl Spencer hit a two-run homer to break the stalemate. Kralick stayed out and pitched the rest of the game, and though Al Kaline hit a solo blast for the Yankees in the top of the seventh, that was all they got ... we won this one 2-1, Kralick improving to 4-3 with a 1.26 ERA, thanks to a complete game five-hitter, striking out seven with no walks and one earned run. We outhit them 10-5, led by Spencer, whose two-run homer basically won it for us in the sixth. May 21, 1960: Stan Williams (1-1, 3.41 ERA, 31.2 IP, 23 K’s, 1.07 WHIP) took on New York’s Harvey Haddix (2-1, 4.44 ERA, 26.1 IP, 17 K’s, 1.41 WHIP) in our second game in this short series, and we took the lead quickly in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Ed Bailey and a sac-fly by Wally Post. Willie Davis helped us add some insurance with an RBI single in the bottom of the second, and Banks hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third which was quickly followed by another Post sac-fly and a Bobby Morgan solo homer to turn this one into a surprising early rout! They picked up a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth, and with a 6-3 lead in hand we brought Raul Puig out to pitch in the top of the seventh. Burdette took over in the eighth, and Drott pitched for us in the ninth, holding the Yankees back as we held tough to the 6-3 win. Williams got the win, improving to 2-1 with a 3.58 ERA thanks to just eight hits, a walk and three earned runs in his six innings, while the bullpen held on with three innings and just a walk and a strikeout. Drott earned his second save and his ERA has improved to 4.05 for us. We narrowly outhit them 9-8, led by Banks with three hits, two runs and an RBI. The win gets us over .500 for the first time since that Detroit series in the first week of April’s action. We’re 16-15 and in second place in a tightly contested American League, just 3.5 games now behind the Yankees, tied with Boston and our next opponent, the Washington Senators. The Chicago Cubs, at 21-12, are the talk of the National League right now, sitting in second place behind the 23-10 Milwaukee Braves. And with our team finally starting to heat up, it’s a really good year to be a fan of baseball in the windy city! May 22, 1960: It’s time for another Sunday doubleheader, with Washington’s Senators in town for a pair. Billy Pierce (2-2, 2.75 ERA, 39.1 IP, 20 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) pitched in the first game of the afternoon, facing Bill Stafford (3-2, 3.92 ERA, 43.2 IP, 20 K’s, 1.51 WHIP). Wally Post hit an RBI single to drive in a run for us in the bottom of the first, and Pierce got us into the stretch with that 1-0 lead unchanged. Bobby Morgan added on a run in the bottom of the seventh to give us a little more breathing room, and Raul Puig came out to take over in the top of the eighth. Freddie Burdette took over in the ninth inning, and we held on to win this one 2-1 despite a Tommy Davis solo homer in the bottom of the inning that cut it closer than we’d have liked. The streak lives! Pierce improved to 3-2 with a 2.33 ERA, lasting seven innings with four hits, four walks and six strikeouts, while Puig got his second hold and Burdette his third save. They outhit us 7-5, but we held our ground -- Morgan and Minoso led with a hit, a walk and a run scored for each. Jim O’Toole (2-1, 3.08 ERA, 38.0 IP, 19 K’s, 1.18 WHIP) started on short rest for game two, facing Gerald Neal (1-3, 10.12 ERA, 24.0 IP, 18 K’s, 1.96 WHIP). The game was tightly contested until the bottom of the fifth, when Wally Post hit an RBI single to put us on the board! Jim Piersall hit a two-run single that, coupled with an error, put two more runs across, and Wally Post scored off a wild pitch to add on, sending us into the top of the sixth leading 4-0! Wally Post hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, and Piersall scored on another wild pitch to make it an eight-run shutout rout-in-the-making, and Paul LaPalme took over for O’Toole with one out in the top of the seventh. Dick Drott came out in the top of the eighth leading 8-1, and he pitched the remainder of the game as we held tough to win 8-2 to remain on our hot streak. O’Toole improved to 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA, pitching 6.1 innings with four hits and two strikeouts, and we outhit Washington 11-8, led by Wally Post with two hits, two runs and four RBIs. Jim Piersall added three hits, a run and two RBIs, and we’ll head into our next series with an 18-15 record now that we’ve rattled off seven wins in a row! We’ve got a pair against Baltimore (15-21) this week, followed by four against the Athletics (16-18) on the road ... we’ll then end the month back here in Chicago where we’ll play Cleveland (15-17) for three games including a Monday doubleheader. And with everything starting to come together, we’ve got a real chance to make a run at the Yankees if we can keep this winning streak alive -- we’re just two and a half games back of May 24, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (4-0, 3.66 ERA, 39.1 IP, 17 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) pitched today against Baltimore’s Glen Hobbie (1-4, 5.35 ERA, 38.2 IP, 14 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) in our first of two games against the Orioles. This one became a total blowout in the SECOND INNING when we brought 14 batters to the plate and racked up a 9-0 lead on the hapless Orioles ... during the frame, ALL WITH TWO OUTS, Minoso hit an RBI single, Banks scored two with a single, Wally Post scored one with a single, Jim Piersall walked one in, and then Bobby Morgan cleared the bases with a grand slam! Beautiful, beautiful. Bennie Daniels came in with a 12-1 lead in the top of the seventh, and he pitched a three-inning save as we won 12-3. Stobbs improved to 5-0 with a 3.38 ERA, allowing just seven hits, two walks and a run with three strikeouts in his six innings, and Daniels had three innings with four hits, two runs and a strikeout in his bullpen appearance. They outhit us 11-9, but there was no way they’d outlive that miserable second inning. Bobby Morgan was the hero of the day with a hit, two walks, two runs and four RBIs after the slam, his fourth homer of the year. May 25, 1960: Jack Kralick (4-3, 1.26 ERA, 57.0 IP, 28 K’s, 0.75 WHIP) has been red hot all year, and he faced off against Baltimore’s Gaylord Perry (4-2, 2.73 ERA, 56.0 IP, 37 K’s, 1.18 WHIP) in a real battle of top young pitchers. Minnie Minoso hit a solo homer to give us the lead in the bottom of the first, but they tied us in the top of the second with an RBI single by Wayne Causey and this one became a razor-sharp battle. We broke it open in the bottom of the seventh, when Willie Davis hit an RBI double to drive in a pair of runs, and Minoso batted in a run with a single to extend the lead, coming in to score a few minutes later off a single by Wally Post! Kralick, quickly cementing himself as our ace starter, finished his game and held tough to a 5-3 win, improving to 5-3 with a 1.50 ERA after an 11-hitter with six strikeouts and three earned runs. We outhit the Orioles 12-11, led by Minoso, who hit three times with two runs and two RBIs. Our bullpen gets a shot in the arm with Bill Fischer’s return from his strained hamstring. Fischer, at 29, does not have the best stuff by any stretch, but he’s got killer movement and control ... we’re going to move Garland Shifflett back down to AAA to make room for him as a potential setup man, as last year he pitched 86 innings for us with a 2-1 record, four saves, 28 K’s and a 1.30 WHIP. We’re now heading to Kansas City, where our 20-15 White Sox are suddenly within a game and a half of the Yankees in first ... the A’s are off to a 16-20 start and just six games out of the pennant chase, and we’ve already seen they don’t lay down in games. So our nine game winning streak won’t mean anything to them when we bring our bats out on their field. The only other streak that comes even close to ours is that of the LA Dodgers, who have won eight in a row over in the NL to get themselves back to .500 in that league. May 26, 1960: Stan Williams (2-1, 3.58 ERA, 37.2 IP, 26 K’s, 1.14 WHIP) faced Ron Negray (1-2, 3.95 ERA, 43.1 IP, 26 K’s, 1.27 WHIP) in the first of four games in Kansas City, and we took the lead quickly in the top of the first with a solo homer by Bailey, adding on with an RBI double by Jim Piersall. From there we just kept adding on runs one at a time, and with a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the eighth we brought out Dick Drott to take over on the mound. He completed the shutout as we held firm to beat the Athletics in the end by the same 6-0 margin. Williams improved to 3-1 with a 3.02 ERA, allowing just one hit with six strikeouts through seven innings, and Drott improved his to 3.38 with two walks in his two innings of work. We outhit the A’s 13-1, led by Piersall with three hits, a walk and an RBI, while Aparicio put up two hits and a run as we extended our winning streak to 10 straight. May 27, 1960: Billy Pierce (3-2, 2.33 ERA, 46.1 IP, 26 K’s, 1.21 WHIP) pitched against Rob Blaylock (3-2, 3.86 ERA, 39.2 IP, 17 K’s, 1.39 WHIP). And this one was never really in doubt, once we took the lead in the second inning with a two-run homer by Bobby Morgan. We added RBI singles by Minoso and Bailey in the top of the third, and from there it was just a matter of Pierce locking in and allowing nothing from the mound as he completed the game, winning 4-0. It was a one-hit shutout for the 33-year-old veteran, walking one and striking out five ... he had a perfect game until the bottom of the sixth, when Frank House got Kansas City’s only hit. We picked up eight hits ourselves, led by Bobby Morgan with two hits, a run and two RBIs. This win extended our winning streak to 11 consecutive games, and we’ve flipped places with the Yankees, taking control of the American League pennant race by half a game! Boston, with a 21-16 record, is just a game out, and Cleveland, at 18-17, is still within three games in a really tight race early in this seaosn. But we’re finally playing the way I’d expected our lineup to show up, game after game, and as expected we’re a very tough team to beat when our starters aren’t driven out of games early. May 28, 1960: Jim O’Toole (3-1, 2.64 ERA, 44.1 IP, 21 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) pitched against Milt Pappas (5-3, 3.05 ERA, 56.0 IP, 35 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) in the third of four against the Athletics, and we took the lead in the top of the third when Minnie Minoso reached first on an error, driving home Daryl Spencer. We added a pair in the second off a sac fly by Piersall and a single by O’Toole, and an RBI single by Morgan extended the lead to four. Pappas got blown out of the game in the top of the eighth when Minoso hit a two-run double, and with an 8-1 lead we brought out Freddie Burdette in the bottom of the eighth. He got us through the remainder as we crushed the Athletics 8-2. O’Toole improved to 4-1 with a 2.28 ERA, allowing just four hits and a walk with two strikeouts and a single unearned run. Burdette improved his ERA to 2.60, allowing two hits and an earned run with two strikeouts, and we outhit them 13-6, led by Wally Post with three hits and two runs scored. May 29, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (5-0, 3.38 ERA, 45.1 IP, 20 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Glenn McMinn (2-4, 5.98 ERA, 46.2 IP, 22 K’s, 1.74 WHIP) in the final game of the series in Kansas City, and we took the lead 3-0 in the top of the fourth, with a two-run homer by Wally Post and and RBI single by Bobby Morgan. Raul Puig came out with an out and men on first and second leading 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, and for the first time in two weeks he blew the save for us as Billy Klaus hit a two-run double to tie the score. Still tied in the bottom of the ninth, we brought out Freddie Burdette who was able to get this game into extra innings. Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the 11th inning, and Paul LaPalme took over in the bottom of the 12th with one out and men on first and second. Cookie Rojas grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to keep this one going into the 13th. In the bottom of the 14th inning, Kansas City finally got something to happen for them, with Ray Sievers hitting into a fielder’s choice, Banks failing to make the throw out at home as the A’s walked it off 4-3. The streak officially ended at 12 games. LaPalme took the loss, falling to 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA, but he pitched two good innings with two hits, a walk, a strikeout and a run. Kansas City outhit us 14-12 in the marathon game, our team led by Wally Post with three hits, two RBIs and a run scored, while Willie Davis hit three times but got nowhere. We’ve got two games against Cleveland (20-17) at home to end the month, and then travel to Detroit (16-20) for two to start the month of May. We’ll then play four at home against Kansas City (17-23) before hitting the road for four at New York (20-14) and three at Boston (22-17). We don’t have a day off until May 13th, and we’ve played six days in a row already, so this will be a really key stretch for us to prove we can stay on a winning path. We currently lead the AL by half a game over the Yankees, but we go into these two games against Cleveland with just a two-game lead on them. So it’s definitely the tightest race we’ve seen in the league in years. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-11-2024, 03:20 PM	#128
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	May 30, 1960: Today we’ve got a doubleheader against Cleveland, with Jack Kralick (5-3, 1.50 ERA, 66.0 IP, 34 K’s, 0.82 WHIP) pitching against Ray Herbert (3-0, 1.48 ERA, 24.1 IP, 10 K’s, 0.66 WHIP) in the first game. It was a defensive battle from the start, with Cleveland taking a slim lead in the top of the sixth with an RBI single by Red Wilson ... but our bats couldn’t get anything through, and Dick Drott came out in the top of the eighth still trailing 1-0. He gave up two more runs in the top of the ninth to pretty much seal it, as our offense chose to take the morning off and Cleveland won the first game by a 3-0 margin. Kralick has had the worst luck of our starters when it comes to our team actually scoring runs ... he lasted seven innings today with just six hits, a walk and seven strikeouts, but the earned run he allowed was enough ... he falls to 5-4 with a 1.48 ERA, and could be forgiven for his overt frustration as he watched us lose. Cleveland outhit us 8-6, our team led by Ernie Banks with two hits to nowhere. Stan Williams (3-1, 3.02 ERA, 44.2 IP, 32 K’s, 0.99 WHIP) pitched in game two, facing Dave Wegerek (0-2, 5.52 ERA, 31.0 IP, 12 K’s, 1.81 WHIP). We took a 4-1 lead after the first inning, tying the score with an error that put Minoso on base and scored Davis, then adding an RBI double by Wally Post, and a two-run single by Jim Pagliaroni. In the top of the seventh, with the lead 5-1, Bennie Daniels came out to take over, and though he gave up a pair of runs in the seventh, he got through the eighth unblemished. Raul Puig came out in the top of the ninth still leading by two runs, and he held onto the win as we beat Cleveland 5-3. Williams improved to 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA, lasting six innings with just two hits, three strikeouts and a run, but he was pitching on short rest so we didn’t risk keeping him in longer. We narrowly outhit them 5-4 in another duel, with Pagliaroni’s two RBIs leading the way. May 31, 1960: Billy Pierce (4-2, 1.95 ERA, 55.1 IP, 31 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) started against Cleveland’s Robin Roberts (2-2, 4.42 ERA, 57.0 IP, 25 K”s, 1.16 WHIP) in the series’ rubber match, and with the score knotted up 2-2 in the top of the seventh Bill Fischer came out to try and keep us in this fight. Unfortunately he gave up two runs in the seventh, and with the score 4-3 in their favor heading into the eighth we brought out Dick Drott to keep it from getting out of hand. He pitched the rest of the way but our bats stayed silent and we lost in the end by the same 4-3 margin. Fischer took the loss, falling to 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA through his first two bullpen appearances, and we were outhit 9-8 ... Ed Bailey led the way for us with three hits, a run and two RBIs, while Willie Davis added two hits and an RBI. The loss knocks us out of first place as the Red Sox (25-17) took a one-game lead on us. We’re now in second, half a game up on the Yankees and one game up on Cleveland. We’ll enter the month of June with a 24-18 record, having gone 19-13 through the month of May to get back into pennant contention. We’ll spend most of the first half of the month on the road ... two games in Detroit (18-21) to open the month, followed by a home series of four games against Kansas City (18-25) followed by four in New York (21-16) and three in Boston (25-17) before we get back to Chicago for an extended stretch. June 1, 1960: Jim O’Toole (4-1, 2.23 ERA, 51.1 IP, 23 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) started against Detroit’s Herm Wehmeier (1-1, 13.50 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 K’s, 3.00 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the second with an RBI triple by Daryl Spencer and a passed ball, but they got runs in the third and fourth to tie it up at 2-2. So it was up to Jim Piersall to put us back into the lead with a two-run homer, with Paul LaPalme taking over with one out and a man on second in the bottom of the fifth, getting us through the inning without eroding the lead. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the eighth, still leading by a run, and we held our ground as we beat the Tigers in a tightly contested game, 4-3. LaPalme got the win, improving to 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA with a 2.2 inning appearance ... he allowed three hits, a strikeout and a run, while Burdette saved his fourth game with two innings and just a hit and a strikeout. The Tigers outhit us 10-7, but Piersall had two hits, a run and two RBIs in the leadoff spot, and Spencer added two hits, two runs and an RBI as well. June 2, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (5-0, 3.48 ERA, 51.2 IP, 20 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Bill Wight (1-5, 4.50 ERA, 44.0 IP, 31 K’s, 1.61 WHIP) in our second game of the pair against the Tigers, and after Daryl Spencer hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to put us up 4-2, Bill Fischer took over for us on the mound in the bottom of the inning. Fischer got us throuugh two solid innings, and Raul Puig took over in the bottom of the eighth, and Dick Drott came out in the bottom of the ninth with one out and a man on first. He gave up a single but then got two quick outs to end this one as a 4-2 victory! Stobbs remains undefeated, currently 6-0 with a 3.49 ERA after a five inning game where he allowed nine hits with three strikeouts and two earned runs. Fischer and Puig got holds, and Drott saved his third game as the bullpen held the game for us. They outhit us 13-10, but Ernie Banks led the way with three hits, a run and two RBIs, and Spencer again had a solid afternoon with two hits, a run and two RBIs, improving his average to .263 through 38 games. This stretch of games is definitely wearing our starters out ... we’ve got 11 games left in the next ten days before getting a day off, but so far we’ve weathered the storm well. June 3, 1960: We’re back at home for four games against the last-place Athletics, with Jack Kralick (5-4, 1.48 ERA, 73.0 IP, 41 K’s, 0.84 WHIP) pitching against Ron Negray (1-3, 3.99 ERA, 56.1 IP, 32 K’s, 1.31 WHIP). With the score tied at 1-1, we brought out Freddie Burdette in the top of the seventh, and Paul LaPalme took over in the eighth, but we couldn’t get a run across and this one went into extra innings. Finally, in the bottom of the 10th inning, Willie Davis led off with a solo homer to wak it off, and we got out of here with a 2-1 win. LaPalme pitched three innings with one hit and one strikeout, earning the win as he improved to 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA, and though we only had seven hits in the game (tying the A’s), Davis was solid with two hits, a run and an RBI to lead the way including his walkoff homer. June 4, 1960: Stan Williams (4-1, 2.84 ERA, 50.2 IP, 35 K’s, 0.91 WHIP) started against Dean Stone (1-4, 5.15 ERA, 36.2 IP, 14 K’s, 1.61 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Banks, and with the score tied up heading into the bottom of the fourth, we retook the lead with an RBI single by Morgan and an RBI double by Spencer to lead 3-1 heading into the fifth inning. They got a run back in the top of the sixth off a sac-fly by Alan Scott, and Raul Puig came out to pitch in the top of the seventh with the lead still 3-2. An RBI single by Banks and an RBI double by Bailey helped us add to the lead in the bottom of the seventh, and Burdette took over in the top of the eighth with a three-run lead to protect. He held tough the rest of the way and we won this one 5-2. Stan Williams pitched six innings with six hits, five strikeouts and two earned runs, improving to 5-1 with a 2.86 ERA. Puig held his fourth game and Burdette picked up his fifth save, the two combining for three innings with a hit and two strikeouts. We outhit Kansas City 11-7, led by Banks with two hits, a run and two RBIs. June 5, 1960: We’ve signed Bob Porterfield, age 36, to a minor league contract and a nominal signing bonus, and he’ll step into our rotation as a sixth man for the remainder of this stretch with no days off. He was released back in early May by the LA Dodgers, where he’d put up 3.1 innings this year with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, striking out a batter per inning. And while he may be past his days of being a critical starter for a team, I think he’s just the man to add depth to our rotation and keep us from having to wear out all our arms so early in the season. Today’s a doubleheader, and in game one Billy Pierce (4-2, 2.05 ERA, 61.1 IP, 34 K’s, 1.04 WHIP) pitched for us, facing Bob Blaylock (3-3, 3.55 ERA, 50.2 IP, 21 K’s, 1.38 WHIP). This time we wasted no time, scoring off a Minoso RBI double and picking up a second run when Ernie Banks reached first on an error, aadding on with a two-run homer by Ed Bailey to take a 4-0 lead into the second inning. But Pierce got shelled immediately thereafter, giving up four quick runs to tie it up, so it was a wash. He stayed out there and kept his cool the remainder of his session, and we were able to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a two-run single by Jim Piersall, Wally Post scoring a few minutes later off a Spencer walk to make it a 7-4 lead heading into inning number six. Bennie Daniels took over in the top of the sixth, and we turned this one into a rout, adding a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh. Dick Drott came in to pitch in the ninth inning with us still up six runs, shutting them down as we won 11-5. Pierce improved to 5-2 with five innings pitched, allowing six hits, two walks and four earned runs with four strikeouts. Daniels lasted three innings with three hits, a walk, a run and two strikeouts, and we were able to win big despite being outhit 9-7! Willie Davis led the way with four hits, two runs and two RBIs to get his average up to .301 for the season. In the second game, Bob Porterfield made his White Sox debut, pitching against Milt Pappas (6-4, 3.63 ERA, 69.1 IP, 41 K’s, 1.51 WHIP)so we could give Jim O’Toole an extra day’s rest. We took the lead quickly with RBI singles by Banks and Post in the bottom of the first, and Jim Pagliaroni hit an RBI single in the third that extended our lead to three runs. With a 6-3 lead in hand in the top of the seventh we brought out Paul LaPalme to pitch, and Puig took over in the top of the eighth still leading by a pair. He stayed out the rest of the way, and we won 6-4 to complete the sweep, extending our winning streak to six games. Porterfield took the win, pitching six innings with eight hits, a walk, three runs and four strikeouts, while LaPalme got a hold and Puig his second save of the season. We outhit the A’s 14-12, led by Minnie Minoso with two hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI. We’ve retaken first place in the American League, a game and a half up on our next opponent, the New York Yankees, who we’ll face for four games on their field. We’ll then play three against Boston (25-23, 5 GB) before finally getting a day off. June 6, 1960: Heading into this four-game series against the Yankees, we’ve won 19 of our last 22 games, building us a game and a half lead on New York and a five game lead over Cleveland and Boston. Jim O’Toole (4-1, 2.26 ERA, 55.2 IP, 25 K’s, 1.10 WHIP) started against Vinegar Bend Mizell (7-1, 3.49 ERA, 67.0 IP, 30 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) in the first game. And this game was hopelessly deadlocked until the top of the eighth, when Bobby Morgan scored off a sac-fly by Jim Pagliaroni to put us up 1-0! Burdette got us through the bottom of the inning, and Morgan hit a two-run single in the top of the ninth to add on. We kept Burdette out there in the bottom of the inning and held the Yankees off to win 3-0. O’Toole pitched seven innings with four hits, two walks and four strikeouts, improving to 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA, while Burdette pitched a two-inning save (his sixth) with two hits, a walk and two strikeouts, improving his ERA to 1.71. Each team had six hits, ours being led by Bobby Morgan who hit once, walked once, scored a run and batted in two more. June 7, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (6-0, 3.49 ERA, 56.2 IP, 23 K’s, 1.29 WHIP) went up against Steve Ridzik (1-3, 6.07 ERA, 26.2 IP, 11 K’s, 1.57 WHIP), and this game did not go our way. Dick Drott came out to replace Stobbs in the bottom of the seventh trailing 3-1, and promptly gave up four runs with two outs, forcing us to bring out LaPalme while trailing by six runs. He remained out the rest of the way and did his job, but the damage was done. We lost 7-1, and Stobbs is perfect no longer. He fell to 6-1 with a 3.45 ERA, allowing four hits, two walks and three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts in his six innings, and we were outhit 10-6. Stobbs had a hit, a walk and a run scored, while Willie Davis had a hit and two walks but got nowhere. June 8, 1960: Jack Kralick (5-4, 1.48 ERA, 79.0 IP, 47 K’s, 0.87 WHIP) pitched against Billy O’Dell (6-3, 1.49 ERA, 78.2 IP, 38 K’s, 0.92 WHIP). And his luck continued to sour, as New York put up four runs in the first six inning and our bats gave Kralick zero support once again. Raul Puig came out in the bottom of the seventh still trailing by four, and though he didn’t give anything else up to the Yankees, our bats got nothing back and we lost 4-0. Kralick fell to 5-5 with a 1.69 ERA, allowing nine hits, a walk and four runs (three earned) with three strikeouts, but we were outhit 9-8. Gene Stephens and Daryl Spencer led the team with three hits each to nowhere. June 9, 1960: Stan Williams (5-1, 2.86 ERA, 56.2 IP, 40 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) pitched against Mike McCormick (3-3, 3.27 ERA, 71.2 IP, 53 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) in our final game of the four in New York. Ed Bailey hit a two-run homer in the top of the first to give us a lead, but we gave it all back and the lead too in the bottom of the third, tying it up again in the top of the fifth with a run scoring after Willie Davis hit into a fielder’s choice. Bobby Morgan hit an RBI single to get us back into the lead in the top of the sixth, and Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the seventh still leading 4-3. He blew the save but kept it tied into the top of the eighth, and Freddie Burdette came out in the bottom of the eighth with the score tied up 4-4. But they walked it off in the bottom of the ninth when Lee Thomas walked in a run with one out and the bases loaded, beating us 5-4 and taking the series three games to one. Burdette took the loss in a two inning effort, falling to 1-3 with a 1.93 ERA thanks to two hits, two walks and a run. But we were again outhit 8-4, our bats choosing the worst possible team to slump against. Ed Bailey led the way with a hit, a walk, a run and two RBIs. We head into the three games against Boston at Fenway with a 31-21 record, trailing New York by half a game while we remain 3.5 games up on the Red Sox. But after a seven game winning streak we’re now owners of three losses in a row, and we need to find some offense if we’re going to take any kind of load off our pitchers. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-11-2024, 03:25 PM	#129
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	June 10, 1960: Billy Pierce (5-2, 2.44 ERA, 66.1 IP, 38 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) pitched against Boston’s George Brunet (5-2, 3.08 ERA, 76.0 IP, 38 K’s, 1.32 WHIP). Ed Bailey hit into a fielder’s choice but got us the lead when Willie Davis scored in the top of the first, and moments later Wally Post hit a sac-fly and Minnie Minoso tagged up and scored to make it a 2-0 lead. And though Pierce had a great night holding them back, in the end our lack of offense proved too much ... Donn Clendenon hit a two-run slam in the bottom of the eighth to tie it up, and in the bottom of the ninth they walked it off with a Whitey Herzog single to win 3-2. Pierce fell to 5-3 with a complete game five hitter, but he walked five and gave up all three earned runs with eight strikeouts. We actually outhit them 6-5, but not when it counted ... all in the first, nothing the rest of the way. Minoso tried his best, hitting three times and driving in a run. But we continue to struggle at putting teams away with sustained scoring drives. June 11, 1960: Jim O’Toole (5-1, 2.01 ERA, 62.2 IP, 29 K’s, 1.07 WHIP) pitched against William Dial (1-1, 13.50 ERA, 14.2 IP, 10 K’s, 2.59 WHIP). Wally Post hit a sac fly in the top of the third, Willie Davis tagging up and scoring the go-ahead run. But Boston answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth, Dick Drott coming in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh with that score unchanged ... yet another lead squandered without additional run support. Drott got shelled, giving up four runs to let Boston run away with it, and we lost in the end 6-1. This is becoming a real concern, our inability to respond when games are tight. Drott fell to 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA, giving up two hits and a walk with four UNEARNED runs, and we were evenly matched on hits, 7-7. Willie Davis had two hits and a run scored, no one else distinguishing themselves in any way. June 12, 1960: We’ve officially followed a seven game winning streak with a five game losing streak, and Chuck Stobbs (6-1, 3.45 ERA, 62.2 IP, 28 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) started the streak so he comes out today against Frank Baumann (5-5, 3.51 ERA, 74.1 IP, 31 K’s, 1.25 WHIP) looking for any way possible to end it. Boston scored runs in the first and second innings, but we got on the board with an RBI double by Minoso and tied it up on an Ed Bailey sac fly in the top of the fourth, Willie Davis scoring the tying run. We traded runs from there, taking the lead back on a two-run homer by Wally Post in the top of the sixth, but we couldn’t hold a lead to save our damned lives. Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the seventh tied up 4-4, and Freddie Burdette took over in the eighth inning. And once again they walked it off in the bottom of the ninth, this time off a Floyd Robinson single as we lost 5-4. Close games? We’ve lost more than a few at this point. Burdette took the hit tonight, another two inning effort with two hits, two strikeouts and a run, giving him a 1-4 record and a 2.12 ERA. We were outhit 12-4, an absolute embarassment with the bats we have in this lineup ... our lack of offense at this point is positively offensive. Minoso had a hit, a run and an RBI to lead the team. Thank God for a f---ing day off ... we actually get two in the next four days, surrounding a pair of home games against Washington (25-29). We’ll then play four against the Yankees (33-19) this weekend, followed by a third day off and a stretch with three against Baltimore (28-29) and four against the Red Sox (30-24). With us now three and a half games behind the Yankees and just half a game up on Boston, now’s the time to figure s--- out before we lose too much ground to battle back. These home games will give us a chance to find our footing before a stretch-run toward the All Star break that features 10 of 14 games on the road. June 14, 1960: Jack Kralick (5-5, 1.69 ERA, 85.0 IP, 50 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) pitched against Camilo Pascual (5-6, 3.61 ERA, 87.1 IP, 61 K’s, 1.28 WHIP) in our first game back at home after the long road trip. As we’ve done many times before, we took the lead in the bottom of the first with a solo homer by Banks and then went eerily silent from an offensive standpoint. In the top of the sixth Washington tied it up with a line drive double by Fred Valentine, and in the top of the eighth they took the lead off a two-out triple by Danny O’Connell that had Kralick livid on the mound over our team’s inability to give him any support at all. Apparently our hitters heard him, or at least Bailey did ... he hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to put us back into the lead by two, Dick Drott taking over in the top of the ninth to try and seal it. He struck out two to strand Harmon Killebrew on first, and we won this one 4-2! Kralick got the win, improving to 6-5 with a 1.74 ERA, allowing just four hits, three walks and two earned runs in his eight innings of work, striking out three. Drott earned his fourth save, with one hit and two strikeouts, improving his ERA to 4.82 since becoming a member of our White Sox bullpen, and we outhit Washington 8-5, led by Bailey who had two hits, a run and three RBIs. June 15, 1960: Stan Williams (5-1, 3.02 ERA, 62.2 IP, 45 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) pitched against Washington’s Bill Stafford (4-5, 5.06 ERA, 74.2 IP, 34 K’s, 1.49 WHIP) in our second of two games against the Senators, and they built a 3-0 lead on us by the middle of the third, though Jim Piersall hit an RBI single in the botom of the third and Willie Davis hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to get us back into the game. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch with two outs and a man on third in the top of the seventh, but an RBI single by Eddie Yost added to their lead before Burdette could get Gene Freese to pop out to center field to get us into the stretch. They wound up turning the game into something of a blowout, beating us in the end 7-3. Williams fell to 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA, allowing six hits, two walks and four earned runs in his 6.2 innings, while we were outhit 12-5. Piersall led the way with three hits and an RBI, but our lack of offense continues to leave us in a difficult position. June 17, 1960: We start this four-game weekend series with a 32-25 record, tied for second place with the Red Sox, both of us three games behind the hated Yankees. Billy Pierce (5-3, 2.52 ERA, 75.0 IP, 46 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) got the start, facing John Buzhardt (0-5, 6.18 ERA, 62.2 IP, 33 K’s, 1.72 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Willie Davis, but they answered with an RBI single by Bobby Richardson in the top of the fifth and the game stayed knotted up from there. Then we woke up with a vengeance in the bottom of the seventh, with Ernie Banks hitting an RBI single for the lead, Ed Bailey folllowing it up with a three-run homer, and Billy Pierce hitting an RBI single to complete the five-run inning! Raul Puig took over in the top of the eighth, and he pitched two excellent innings as we stumped the Yankees 7-1. Pierce improved to 6-3 with seven innings and five hits, four walks and an earned run, striking out two as he improved his ERA to 2.41. We outslugged the Yankees 16-7, led by Bailey who had two hits, a run and four RBIs, while Banks hit three times for two runs and an RBI. June 18, 1960: Jim O’Toole (5-1, 1.97 ERA, 68.2 IP, 34 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) pitched against Billy O’Dell (8-3, 1.30 ERA, 90.1 IP, 44 K’s, 0.87 WHIP). Both teams got a run each in the third inning, but Bobby Morgan got us into the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run homer, his sixth of the season, shooting us to a 4-1 lead. Wally Post hit a solo bomb out of right in the bottom of the fifth to add a little insurance, and with the lead at three runs heading into the top of the eighth, Freddie Burdette came out to take over on the mound. He got us through the remainder of the game and we held tough to win 5-2! O’Toole improved to 6-1 with a 2.02 ERA, allowing seven hits, five walks and two earned runs with four strikeouts through seven innings, while Burdette saved his seventh game and improved his ERA to 2.38 through 34 innings this season. They outhit us 9-7, but Bobby Morgan was unfazed and hit twice himself, scoring a run and batting in three to lead our hitters. June 19, 1960: Today we’ll be playing a pair of games, with a chance to overtake the Yankees in the standings. Jack Kralick (6-5, 1.74 ERA, 93.0 IP, 53 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) pitched against Mike McCormick (3-4, 3.48 ERA, 85.1 IP, 64 K’s, 1.28 WHIP) in the first game of the day, and for once our bats gave him a ton of cushion right from the start -- Ernie Banks hit an RBI double and Wally Post added a three-run homer to get us into the top of the second leading 4-0! We picked up three more runs in the bottom of the sixth, scoring off a walk by Kralick and a two-run single by Minnie Minoso, and Kralick completed the rest of the game with ease as we whipped the Yankees 8-1! Kralick improved to 7-5 with a 1.59 ERA, allowing eight hits, three strikeouts and a single unearned run. We outhit them 11-8, led by Minoso who had three hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs. In game two, Chuck Stobbs (6-1, 3.67 ERA, 68.2 IP, 29 K’s, 1.30 WHIP) pitched against Steve Ridzik (3-3, 3.98 ERA, 43.0 IP, 13 K’s, 1.28 WHIP). And this one was a wild game ... for the Yankees, who quickly built a 5-1 lead on us in the first five innings of play. But we picked up a run in the eighth and three more in the ninth to tie it up and force extra innings, only for Dick Drott to allow three runs in the top of the 11th to give them the win. We scored one in the bottom of the inning but lost this one 8-6 in a disappointing all-around performance. Drott took the loss and fell to 0-3, giving up six hits, a walk and three earned runs with one strikeout, exploding his ERA to 5.95 since coming here from the north side ... he has a 6.98 ERA through 38.2 innings for both our club and the Cubs, and has been disappointing in clutch situations thus far despite his great stuff. We were outhit in this one 17-16, Jim Piersall leading our batters with three hits and two RBIs, while Wally Post had three hits, two runs and an RBI. We won three out of four games against the Yankees, and head into our Baltimore series here in Chicago with a two-game lead over the Red Sox, trailing the Yankees now by just one game. Baltimore sits in fifth place, six and a half games out of the pennant chase. We’ve got three games against them this week followed by four against Boston before we head back on the road to face the Washington Senators in the start of a 10-game road trip that will get us into July. June 21, 1960: Stan Williams (5-2, 3.25 ERA, 69.1 IP, 49 K’s, 0.95 WHIP) pitched against Baltimore’s Dave Wickersham (7-5, 4.05 ERA, 93.1 IP, 55 K’s, 1.40 WHIP). This game was a bit of whiplash early on ... we took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to a two-run single by Jim Piersall, but Baltimore picked up three quick runs to take the lead in the top of the fourth, thanks to a walk, a sac-fly and an RBI single by Bill Sarni. We answered with a three-run homer by Banks in the bottom of the inning, his 13th homer of the season, to go back up by a pair heading into the fifth inning, and we got a little insurance in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by Post that extended our lead to 6-3. Bill Fischer took over on the mound in the top of the seventh, and then we quickly turned this into a rout ... adding a run in the seventh and SEVEN MORE in the eighth, Fischer pitching through the remainder as we stomped the Orioles 14-3. Williams gave us six innings with six hits, two walks and three earned runs, striking out three as he improved to 6-2 with a 3.35 ERA, and Fischer picked up his first save, lasting three innings with a hit and a strikeout. We outhit the Orioles 18-7, led by Banks who had three hits, a walk, two runs and four RBIs. June 22, 1960: Billy Pierce (6-3, 2.41 ERA, 82.0 IP, 48 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) took on Don Mossi (4-3, 3.25 ERA, 74.2 IP, 39 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) in game two, and for five innings not a lot happened. Then the scoring hit ... Baltimore got on the board in the top of the sixth with a sac fly by Jose Tartabull and an RBI single by Mossi, but then we answered with an RBI double by Piersall, a two-run homer by Ed Bailey and a two-run single by Billy Pierce to go up 5-2 heading into the seventh inning. Freddie Burdette came out in the top of the eighth to protect a 5-3 lead, and Raul Puig took over in the ninth, shutting them down as we held on to win by that same two-run margin. Pierce improved to 7-3 with a seven inning eight hit effort, walking four with six strikeouts and allowing three earned runs. Burdette picked up his third hold and Puig his third save, as the two combined for two innings with just three hits and a walk. The Orioles outhit us 11-10, but Bailey powered us through with three hits, a walk, a run and two RBIs to lead our offense. June 23, 1960: Jim O’Toole (6-1, 2.02 ERA, 75.2 IP, 38 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) pitched against Glen Hobbie (3-5, 5.30 ERA, 69.2 IP, 20 K’s, 1.45 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run homer by Bailey, his 13th of the season. But the Orioles put three runs on the board in the top of the fifth to steal the lead, and Dick Drott took over in the top of the seventh trailing 4-2. He gave up another run in the top of the eighth, but Wally Post hit an RBI single, Piersall knocked in two with a double to tie the game, and Bobby Morgan hit an RBI single to drive in the go-ahead as we took back control in the bottom of the eighth. Raul Puig came out to pitch in the top of the ninth and closed it out precisely as we won this one 6-5 to complete the sweep. Drott improved to 1-3 with a 5.82 ERA, pitching two innings with three hits, two strikeouts and an earned run, and Puig got his fourth save to improve his ERA to 2.14 through 21 innings since joining our White Sox. He has a 2.30 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP through 31.1 innings between our team and the Phillies. They outhit us 9-7, but Bailey put up two hits, two runs and two RBIs, and Wally Post added two hits, a run and an RBI as we came from behind to win. The Yankees (36-26) dropped a pair in Detroit, so we’ve retaken a one game lead in the AL pennant race with our 38-26 record. We’ll head to Boston for four games against the third-place Red Sox, who at 36-29 trail the Yankees by a game and a half, and us by two and a half. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-11-2024, 03:30 PM	#130
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	June 24, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (6-1, 3.98 ERA, 74.2 IP, 29 K’s, 1.34 WHIP) took on George Brunet (6-3, 3.49 ERA, 95.1 IP, 49 K’s, 1.35 WHIP) in front of nearly 32,000 White Sox fans this evening, and we took the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by Spencer followed by Stobbs reaching first on an error to drive home Spencer from third. But Boston answered with a pair themselves in the top of the third, so Spencer had to hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to get us the lead back. Dick Drott came out to pitch in the top of the seventh leading 4-3, and he blew the save as the Red Sox tied us up off an RBI single by Willie Jones. Freddie Burdette came out to pitch in the top of the eighth, and he got us through two innings without a score, but this one went into extra innings when we couldn’t find a way to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth. Paul LaPalme took over in the top of the 10th, and he gave up a pair to give Boston all the momentum. We lost 6-4, in another close game we should, on paper, have been able to win. LaPalme took the loss, fallling to 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA, allowing two hits, a walk, two runs and striking out one batter. But the real story was we let Boston outhit us 11-7, our team led by Daryl Spencer with two hits, two runs and three RBIs. June 25, 1960: Bob Porterfield (1-0, 4.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 4 K’s, 1.50 WHIP) got the start in our second game against the Red Sox, facing the ice cold Bob Kuzawa (2-9, 5.56 ERA, 68.0 IP, 43 K’s, 1.53 WHIP). It wasn’t a great start for him, with Boston taking the lead 2-0 in the second inning and still holding a 4-2 advantage in the top of the seventh when Raul Puig came out to pitch. Puig pitched the rest of the way but we weren’t able to make up any ground, and the Red Sox stuffed us 5-2 ahead of tomorrow’s doubleheader. Porterfield had four hits, four walks, four strikeouts and four earned runs in his six innings, dropping his record to 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA. We outhit them 8-5, but our offense couldn’t make anything happen on the basepaths when it counted. Jim Pagliaroni hit three times to nowhere, and Wally Post had two hits and a run scored to lead the team. June 26, 1960: Things are definitely tight at the top of the AL standings right now, with us tied with New York for the lead, just half a game up on the Red Sox, who have surged to a 38-29 record. Jack Kralick (7-5, 1.59 ERA, 102.0 IP, 56 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) took the mound in game one against Hoyt Wilhelm (5-5, 4.07 ERA, 77.1 IP, 39 K’s, 1.40 WHIP), and we took the lead in the bottom of the first when Ernie Banks grounded into a double play that allowed Willie Davis to score. It remained a tight contest from there, but Kralick patiently pitched well through the seventh, and we added six runs in the bottom of that inning, batting around in the process! We added four more in the bottom of the eighth, and Kralick pitched to complete his game, shutting them out 11-0 and allowing just three hits and five walks with three strikeouts in the process! Kralick is now 8-5 with a 1.46 ERA through 14 starts, and has to be considered a front-runner in the “way too goddamned early” Cy Young conversations. We outhit Boston 13-3 ... Willie Davis had the best overall night, with two hits, two runs and four RBIs including a seventh inning homer, but Minoso and Bailey each hit three times as well, giving us some real late innings power. Stan Williams (6-2, 3.35 ERA, 75.1 IP, 52 K’s, 0.98 WHIP) got the start in game two, facing Frank Baumann (6-5, 3.35 ERA, 94.0 IP, 40 K’s, 1.24 WHIP). Boston scored first in the top of the fourth, but we tied it with a Pagliaroni RBI single and took the lead with a single by Luis Aparicio. Wally Post hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 3-1 lead, but Williams got rung up in the top of the sixth, thanks to a three run double by Donn Clendenon and a sac-fly by Ron Henson, Paul LaPalme taking over with two outs to get us through the inning trailing at that point by a 5-3 margin. Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the eighth with the score unchanged, and Bill Fischer came out in the ninth to keep us at least barely in the hunt ... but our bats failed to make anything happen and we lost 5-3. Williams took the hit, allowing five hits, a walk and five runs (three earned) with seven strikeouts through 5.2 innings, falling to 6-3 with a 3.44 ERA. We outhit them 11-6, so it’s maddening that we couldn’t find any way to get back into this one. Wally Post had three hits, a run and an RBI, while Aparicio hit three times and batted in one. We got some really bad news about Bob Rush, who had already been on the IL with shoulder inflamation since spring training .... we’ve now learned he has to have surgery, is facing an eight month recovery (at least) and his career is almost certainly over at age 34. He is only making $22,500 per year, so we’re going to keep him on the 60-day IL the rest of the season and see how he handles the offseason, but it’s looking grim. He was our best bullpen arm last season and is a well known fan favorite, so it’s a hard pill to swallow. June 28, 1960: We’re back on the road against the Washington Senators, with Billy Pierce (7-3, 2.53 ERA, 89.0 IP, 54 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) pitching against Harold Larned (2-7, 4.08 ERA, 75.0 IP, 42 K’s, 1.40 WHIP). And with ten of our next 14 games before the All Star break on the road, we need to see this team step up if we don’t want to lose significant ground. We took the lead in the top of the first with a two-run homer by Minoso, and Wally Post hit a solo blast to add on in the top of the fourth. Washington fought back in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run single by Gene Freese, but we got one of those runs back in the top of the seventh when Bobby Morgan became our third player to homer in this game. Dick Drott took over in the bottom of the seventh, and again he choked ... three runs were scored by the Senators, and we brought Burdette out to pitch in the bottom of the eighth trailing by a run ... and our bats were no match, the Senators capitalizing on their momentum shift as they beat us 5-4. Drott blew his second save and fell to 1-4 ... his 6.85 ERA since the trade from the north side is frustrating, as his lack of control continues to dog him ... but it has dogged many among our bullpen arms, a problem I am still struggling to solve. They outhit us 8-5, Minoso leading the way for us with two hits, a run and two RBIs. June 29, 1960: Jim O’Toole (6-1, 2.31 ERA, 81.2 IP, 42 K’s, 1.11 WHIP) pitched against Washington’s Camilo Pascual (5-9, 4.17 ERA, 110.0 IP, 74 K’s, 1.32 WHIP). We took the lead in the fifth inning, picking up a run when Daryl Spencer hit into a fielder’s choice, Piersall scoring from third to break the stalemate. Willie Davis hit an RBI single moments later, Minoso followed with an RBI double, and Ernie Banks slammed a two-run homer out of the park to make it a 5-0 lead in the blink of an eye. Bill Fischer came out in the bottom of the eighth still leading by three runs, and he pitched the remainder of the way as we held on to win 5-2. O’Toole improved to 7-1 with a 2.33 ERA, allowing two hits, two walks and two earned runs with six strikeouts through seven innings. Fischer got his second save, improving his ERA to 2.19 through 12.1 innings this season, and we narrowly outhit them 5-4. Ernie Banks’ homer led the way, giving him a hit, a run and two RBIs. June 30, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (6-1, 4.02 ERA, 80.2 IP, 31 K’s, 1.30 WHIP) pitched against Gerald Neal (3-5, 6.44 ERA, 65.2 IP, 43 K’s, 1.81 WHIP) in our final game of this series against the Senators, and this time we just laid a big giant steaming egg. The Senators took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, added three more in the fifth and one in the sixth, and we brought in Bennie Daniels, our long reliever, in the seventh with the game pretty much a wash. In the end they stomped us 10-3, and we looked like complete and total horse droppings, outhitting them 13-10 and outwalking them 7-3 but still only managing to put up three runs. Stobbs fell to 6-2 with eight hits, a walk and seven earned runs in six innings, with Daryl Spencer (three hits, a run and an RBI) and Jim Piersall (two hits, one RBI) our only batters with the ability to hold their heads up. The loss sends us into the month of July with a 40-31 record and still in the fight -- we’re in third place, half a game back of Boston and two games behind New York -- but our offensive inconsistency and bullpen chaos still threatening to knock us down hard. Our remaining games before the All Star break include three games in Baltimore (36-38) this weekend and a doubleheader against Detroit (29-39) on Independence Day. We then get a day off, and will face Cleveland (35-35) for six games in a row (two on the road and four here in Chicago, including a doubleheader on July 10th, with the All Star game set to be played the very next day. July 1, 1960: Jack Kralick (8-5, 1.46 ERA, 111.0 IP, 59 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) started our first game against Baltimore, facing Dick Wickersham (7-7, 4.05 ERA, 106.2 IP, 62 K’s, 1.46 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the fourth with a two-run double by Daryl Spencer, and a four-run top of the seventh sent us into the stretch leading 6-1! Kralick stayed out the rest of the way as we held the O’s back to win 6-2. The win improved his record to 9-5 with a 1.50 ERA ... he allowed nine hits and two runs with a strikeout, getting outhit by the Orioles 9-7 but still escaping with our win. Banks led the way with two hits, a run and two RBIs, matched by Wally Post who did the same thing. July 2, 1960: We’re 8-1 so far against Baltimore, and we’ve won eight in a row against them heading into this game, with Stan Williams (6-3, 3.44 ERA, 81.0 IP, 59 K’s, 0.99 WHIP) facing off against Don “The Sphinx” Mossi (4-4, 3.45 ERA, 88.2 IP, 45 K’s, 1.24 WHIP). Baltimore took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI double by Billy Williams, and in the bottom of the seventh Wayne Causey led off with a triple, and we had to bring up Puig with no outs. Baltimore managed to add on a pair of runs in that frame, and that pretty much did us in ... we went on to lose a 4-0 shutout, Williams taking the loss with four hits, a walk and two runs in his six innings, with six strikeouts. They outhit us 7-3, and even with five free passes we couldn’t make anything happen. July 3, 1960: Billy Pierce (7-3, 2.46 ERA, 95.0 IP, 57 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) faced Glen Hobbie (3-5, 4.63 ERA, 83.2 IP, 26 K’s, 1.36 WHIP) in the rubber match. This was a score often kind of game ... we took the lead on a Banks solo homer in the top of the first, but Washington bounced back with an RBI triple by Billy Williams and took the lead with an RBI single by Wayne Causey in the bottom of the inning. Jim Piersall scored the tying run in the top of the second off a sac-fly by Pagliaroni, and we retook the lead with a Banks RBI double in the top of the third, adding on in the top of the fourth with a Pagliaroni solo homer to lead 4-2. But in the bottom of the fourth they got an RBI single by Lenny Green and a two-run double by Bill Sarni to retake the lead 5-4 as we all got a touch of whiplash. We answered with a three-run homer by Wally Post in the top of the fifth to take a 7-5 lead, our fifth inning in a row with runs scoring ... Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the sixth, still leading by a pair, but he gave up three thanks to a two-run single by Brooks Robinson and a Wayne Causey RBI single, making it clear that 1) our bullpen sucks, and 2) this one was destined to remain a shootout. Paul LaPointe took over in the bottom of the seventh, giving them another run, and Burdette came out in the eighth trailing by a pair, holding them off to give us a chance. But we were done scoring and the Orioles took another from us, this time 9-7. That was capital-U Ugly. Fischer blew his second save and took the loss, falling to 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA with five hits and three earned runs in his single inning of work, and we were outhit 17-10, Ernie Banks leading the way for us with two hits, two runs and two RBIs including his 15th homer. Tomorrow we celebrate our nation’s independence with a doubleheader against the 29-43 Detroit Tigers, with our team now 41-33 and 4.5 games out of first, though we remain comfortably in third place, five games up on the Orioles and Guardians. It’s time to turn things around though -- we haven’t won back-to-back games since sweeping the Orioles June 21-23. In fact we’re 3-7 in our last ten games, so this is definitely NOT the way we wanted to look heading into the All Star break. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-11-2024, 06:26 PM	#131
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	July 4, 1960: Jim O’Toole (7-1, 2.33 ERA, 88.2 IP, 48 K’s, 1.07 WHIP) pitched game one of today’s doubleheader, taking on the Tigers’ Tom Brewer (6-4, 4.32 ERA, 100.0 IP, 49 K’s, 1.37 WHIP). Willie Davis quickly put us into the lead with a lead-off homer in the top of the first, his eight of the season so far, and in the top of the fourth Ernie Banks got us going with a leadoff homer of his own, which Piersall followed with a two-run blast as we extended the lead. O’Toole held on to complete the game, and though Detroit got a run in the fourth and another in the eighth, they never really made it a game as we went on to win 4-2, all our runs coming off homers. O’Toole allowed six hits, a walk and two runs with six strikeouts, improving to 8-1 with a 2.30 ERA, despite us being outhit 6-5. Piersall led the way with his two-run homer, while Davis and Banks had theirs as well. Bob Porterfield (1-1, 5.25 ERA, 12.0 IP, 8 K’s, 1.42 WHIP) pitched in game two, facing Herm Wehmeier (2-6, 4.93 ERA, 49.1 IP, 26 K’s, 1.30 WHIP). We took the lead with an RBI single by Banks in the top of the first, Tommy Harper then hitting a sac-fly to drive home a second run with our second out. The Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single by John Orsino, and Orsino tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth ... but Jim Piersall came out strong in the top of the fifth, blasting a three-run homer out of right to put us back in the lead. The Tigers didn’t quit, and Don Mincher hit a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to get them back within a run. Freddie Burdette came out in the bottom of the seventh to protect our 5-4 lead, and he failed, blowing the save opportunity when Don Blasingame tagged up and scored off a sac-fly by Tom Tresh to tie us up at five each. Bill Fischer took over in the bottom of the eighth, and in the top of the ninth inning we got the lead back with a two-run single by Banks! Raul Puig came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning and held them off nicely as we won 7-5 to complete the doubleheader sweep. Burdette blew his first save of the year, walking one and allowing an earned run as his ERA slipped slightly to 2.14 ... but Fischer got the win, improving to 1-2 with a 3.77 ERA with just one walk, and Puig saved his fifth game, striking out a batter and improving his ERA to 2.38 through 27 innings. We outhit Detroit 10-6, led by Banks, who hit three times with three RBIs, and by Piersall who added two hits, two walks, a run and three RBIs including his fifth homer (and second of the day). We’ve now taken back second place, a half game up on Boston and 3.5 games back of the Yankees heading into our six game stretch against the Cleveland Guardians (38-37, 8 GB, 4th place). We’ll play them twice in Cleveland and then four times this weekend in Chicago before getting four days off for the All Star break. July 6, 1960: Jack Kralick (9-5, 1.50 ERA, 120.0 IP, 60 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) got the start against Cleveland’s Tom Cheney (5-7, 3.35 ERA, 96.2 IP, 61 K’s, 1.33 WHIP). And this game was a long stretch of quiet, followed by a tantalizing taste of offense, followed by multiple innings of more quiet. Cleveland took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, a single by Fred Hatfield driving in their first run. We answered in the top of the sixth to tie it up with a single by Bobby Morgan, and then they retook the lead in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double by Jerry Kindall. We fought to climb back, but our bats stayed silent, and despite Kralick pitching the rest of the way we still lost this one 2-1. He only allowed six hits, walking three with four strikeouts and letting them have two earned runs. We outhit them 7-6, but didn’t make much count ... Piersall had two hits and a walk, and Morgan batted in our only run. Kralick remains incredibly unlucky, falling to 9-6 with a 1.55 ERA. This was his fourth complete game in a row. July 7, 1960: Stan Williams (6-4, 3.41 ERA, 87.0 IP, 65 K’s, 0.98 WHIP) pitched against Don Nottebart (1-1, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 5 K’s, 1.67 WHIP), who Cleveland just called back up after a 7-3 start and a 3.22 ERA with AAA Toronto. And it didn’t matter how inexperienced he was -- we still got destroyed in this one, with Bernie Daniels coming in in the bottom of the sixth trailing 7-1 against the Guardians, our bats looking as impotent as ever. Nothing changed in the remainder of the game as we got shellacked 11-1 ... we’ll return to Chicago needing these four games against the Guardians to go well or we’ll be limping our way into the break. Williams allowed 10 hits in 5.2 innings, walking two with four strikeouts and seven runs (five earned), dropping him to 6-5 with a 3.69 ERA. But we were outslugged 16-6, only Minnie Minoso looking remotely on point with two hits, a run and an RBI. July 8, 1960: We’re back in Chicago for a couple weeks surrounding the upcoming All Star break, and this weekend features four more games against the Cleveland Guardians. Billy Pierce (7-3, 2.79 ERA, 100.0 IP, 58 K’s, 1.20 WHIP) pitched today against Jim Wilson (5-5, 3.59 ERA, 90.1 IP, 33 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) in front of 27,000 White Sox fans on a Friday evening ... and while there were groans when Norm Cash hit a two-run homer to put them up in the top of the first, the crowd loosened up nicely in the bottom of the inning when we put up six of our own, including a three-run blast by Daryl Spencer, as we batted around. We then added six more in the bottom of the second, including an Ed Bailey two-run blast, and we went into the third inning leading 12-2 with Willie Davis already with two hits in three at-bats, with a run and an RBI. This game remained a total rout until the final pitch, and Pierce was frustrated he didn’t get to complete his game ... but at 146 pitches after eight innings we had to bring out Drott, it wasn’t worth risking injury in a game with a 12-run lead heading into the top of the ninth. Drott got us through the final frame unblemished, and we won 18-6! Pierce improved to 8-3 with a 3.08 ERA, allowing 13 hits, five walks and six earned runs in his eight innings, striking out a pair. We outhit the Guardians 16-13, but four of our hits were homers that accounted for nine runs. Davis finished with three hits, two runs and three RBIs, while Spencer hit once, walked once, scored twice and batted in four runs. Even Pierce got in on the action, hitting twice with a run and two batted in, Drott being our only player not to get a hit -- and that’s only because he never got the chance to bat. July 9, 1960: All-Star rosters were officially announced this morning, and we have the following White Sox players being represented there this year: SP Jack Kralick (9-6, 1.55 ERA, 128.0 IP, 0.94 WHIP, 4.5 K/9, 3.6 WAR) SP Jim O’Toole (8-1, 2.30 ERA, 97.2 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 3.8 WAR) C Ed Bailey (.283/.368/.513, 226 AB, 14 HR, 1 SB, 146 wRC+, 2.6 WAR) SS Ernie Banks (.306/.347/.535, 271 AB, 16 HR, 2 SB, 142 wRC+, 1.8 WAR) O’Toole started for us today, facing Cleveland’s Ray Herbert (9-1, 2.13 ERA, 80.1 IP, 33 K’s, 1.05 WHIP), and we were able to give him a calm six-inning start as we dominated the first half of the game, leading 9-0 by the time we brought out Paul LaPalme in the top of the seventh. LaPalme didn’t get us through with a shutout, but he handled the remainder of the game for a three-inning save (his first of the year) and we came out of the game with a 9-2 win. O’Toole improves to 9-1 with a 2.17 ERA, allowing just one hit with two walks and three strikeouts. We outhit Cleveland 10-4, led by Wally Post with two hits, a run and five RBIs. July 10, 1960: We have the doubleheader today, and then the All Star game tomorrow, followed by three blessed days off to rest before the second half of the season gets going. Chuck Stobbs (6-2, 4.47 ERA, 86.2 IP, 33 K’s, 1.32 WHIP) got the start in game one against Robin Roberts (5-5, 4.04 ERA, 111.1 IP, 50 K’s, 1.12 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Ed Bailey, and in the bottom of the fifth we added on when Jim Piersall tagged up and scored off a sac-fly by Daryl Spencer. Raul Puig took over in the top of the sixth with a two-run lead, and in the bottom of the seventh we blew this one open, adding an RBI single by Spencer and a GRAND SLAM by Willie Davis to extend our shutout lead to seven! Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the eighth and got us through the remainder as we blasted the Guardians 7-1! Stobbs got the win, allowing three hits with five strikeouts in five innings, improving to 7-2 with a 4.22 ERA, and Puig picked up his fifth hold in a two-inning, one hit, one strikeout effort. Burdette didn’t come in for a save opportunity, but he did give us two innings with three hits, two walks a run and two strikeouts as well, and both he and Puig now have ERAs that are inching closer to 2.00. We outhit the Guardians 8-7, led by Davis, who had two hits, a run and his four RBIs off the grand slam. Bob Porterfield (1-1, 5.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 8 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) handled the back half of the doubleheader, facing Tom Cheney (6-7, 3.21 ERA, 103.2 IP, 65 K’s, 1.35 WHIP). Cleveland got an early lead, thanks to an RBI single by Jerry Kindall in the top of the first and a two-run homer by Rocky Colavito in the top of the fourth. But we got on the board in the bottom of the inning when Ernie Banks tagged up and scored off a Piersall sac-fly, and in the bottom of the fifth we batted around, scoring off an RBI double by Davis, tying the score off a Banks walk, taking the lead with a Wally Post walk, and adding on with a two-run single by Jim Pagliaroni to give us a 6-3 lead! Bill Fischer took over in the top of the seventh leading 8-4, and LaPalme came out to pitch in the eighth with the margin unchanged. Dick Drott then pitched the top of the ninth with a five run lead under his control, and we stumped the Guardians 9-4 for the four-game sweep! Porterfield improved to 2-1, allowing seven hits, two walks and four earned runs in his six innings, striking out four as his ERA increased to 5.62. But he got the job done in a bullpen game that allowed Kralick to rest up for the All Star game, and we outhit Cleveland 12-7, led by Wally Post with two hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs. The win improves our pre-All Star record to 47-35, just three games back of the 49-31 Yankees, leading Boston (45-37) still by two games. This season has had its ups and downs, but we’re in prime position to get ourselves back to the World Series for the first time in more than four decades. July 11, 1960: Another All Star game has come and gone, and once again the NL All Stars had our number. We took the lead in the top of the third when Jim Gilliam tagged up and scored off a sac-fly by Billy Williams, but Eddie Mathews hit a two-run slam out of left in the bottom of the inning to give them a 2-1 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. The NL added on with a sac-fly by Don Demeter in the bottom of the sixth, and though Yogi Berra got an RBI single (aided by an E8 error) in the top of the seventh to get us a run back, that was as close as we’d get. The NL All Stars won this one 3-2, in a game that lacked the kind of offensive pop from both sides that the fans had been hoping to see. Ernie Banks got a hit for us, but Ed Bailey did not. Kralick gave up two hits in his inning as the starting pitcher, but through 11 pitches he managed not to give up any scoring chances. O’Toole pitched in the fourth inning and allowed a single hit off 15 pitches to stay scoreless as well. July 14, 1960: For the back half of the season, with all our pitchers fully rested, we’re restructuring our rotation slightly, switching O’Toole and Williams to put O’Toole as the back-end of a 1-2 punch behind Kralick. We’re also moving Bernie Daniels down to AAA, calling up closer Merrill Silver who has gone 7-2 with 14 saves and a 2.53 ERA this year in San Diego. Dick Drott will move into a long relief position alongside Porterfield, with our primary bullpen arms being Silver (closer), Burdette (stopper) and Puig (setup), with LaPalme and Fischer as our middle relief options. Silver, at age 25, will be making his debut for us when he does pitch, though he will need a few days’ rest since he pitched 4.1 innings over three appearances the last four days in San Diego ... that with the long flight east and he’s going to need a chance to get used to his new teammates. Our schedule for the remainder of July includes a four-game set hosting Baltimore (42-42) this weekend, followed by three games against Boston (45-37). We then hit the road the rest of the month, with four against the Yankees (49-31), three against Boston, three against Washington (39-41) and three against Baltimore before we return to Chicago for five games against the Senators over four nights August 4-7. We’ll have four Sunday doubleheaders in the next five weeks, so Porterfield and Drott will have their chances to trade off when needed to keep our starters fresh. Attached Images __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-18-2024, 09:55 PM	#135
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	September 2, 1960: We’re back home again, this time for four games against the Tigers, who are now joined by Kansas City and Cincinnati among teams eliminated from playoff hopes, though that list is soon to grow much longer. And even with us facing the last place team, nearly 39,000 fnas packed this place to watch Jack Kralick (16-8, 1.79 ERA, 206.2 IP, 104 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) take on Don Choate (6-8, 3.74 ERA, 151.2 IP, 91 K’s, 1.35 WHIP). Kralick is among the frontrunners for this year’s Cy Young in the AL, but even pitching brilliantly wasn’t enough to get him a lead ... we went into the stretch knotted up at zero-all, and in the top of the eighth he finally cracked, letting Tony Curry hit a solo bomb out of right to put them up 1-0. Minnie Minoso hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to tie it up, and with Kralick at nearly 130 pitches, we brought Freddie Burdette out in the top of the ninth to try and hold them off. He got us into extra innings and then some, but with the bats staying largely silent, we had to bring out Raul Puig in the top of the 12th. Finally, in the bottom of the 12th inning, with one out and Aparicio on second base, Willie Davis hit a line drive single into right, allowing the run to score and getting us through with a 2-1 win. We outhit them 10-7, Puig getting the win to improve to 1-1 with a 2.49 ERA through 50.2 innings in relief for us since we snagged him from Philly. Luis Aparicio led the way with two hits and a run scored, while Piersall and Tommy Harper each had two hits as well. September 3, 1960: Jim O’Toole (15-3, 2.34 ERA, 169.2 IP, 110 K’s, 1.02 WHIP) pitched against Don Rowe (10-8, 4.37 ERA, 131.2 IP, 81 K’s, 1.45 WHIP), who has gone 8-4 since getting traded from the Cubs to the Tigers back in mid-July. Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, and by the time Bill Fischer took over with two outs and a man on third in the top of the sixth, we were in a 5-3 hole. He got that out we needed, and in the bottom of the sixth we got an RBI single from Fischer and then tied the score with a wild pitch that drove in Aparicio! But they got the run back in the top of the seventh off an RBI single by Tony Curry, and we brought out Raul Puig to pitch with one out and Curry on first, getting out of the inning without further damage. Warren Hacker took over in the top of the eighth still trailing by a run, and in the ninth he gave up two more runs to dig us a hole that was impossible to escape as we lost 8-5. Fischer took the loss, falling to 1-3 while getting just two outs, allowing two hits, a walk and an earned run to keep his ERA at 7.77 ... but they outhit us 19-8, so they’d dominated us pretty thoroughly even before we let the win slip away. Tommy Harper led the way with a hit, a walk and two RBIs. September 4, 1960: We have two doubleheaders left this season -- today’s against Detroit, and one in two weeks, against Detroit on the road. Billy Pierce (13-5, 3.29 ERA, 175.0 IP, 109 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) pitched against Tom Brewer (7-12, 4.91 ERA, 174.0 IP, 87 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) in game one, and this one was another pointed battle ... we built a 2-0 lead after four innings, but they got runs in the fifth and eighth to tie it up 2-2 as we came up to hit in the bottom of the inning. Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the ninth, but yet again we went into extra innings because of an inability to drive in runs late. Paul LaPalme took over in the 11th, giving up the go-ahead run with a two-out RBI single by Bob Tillman, and we lost this one in a heartbreaker 3-2. LaPalme took the loss, falling to 3-4 with a 3.16 ERA, allowing three hits and a run while striking out a pair. We outhit them 9-8, but not when it counted; Davis had three hits to lead the team, but it was Morgan who at least managed two hits and an RBI who gave us some offense. In game two, Stan Williams (10-9, 3.87 ERA, 146.1 IP, 104 K’s, 1.13 WHIP) got the start, facing Ben Flowers (0-0, 10.12 ERA, 5.1 IP, 5 K’s, 2.25 WHIP) in his first-ever start, coming on short rest to boot. We scored runs in each of the first four innings, and yet we still held just a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth, and Williams was already wearing out ... he’s not developing the stamina we’d like to see from him after four years in the majors. He did just enough to get through the fifth inning, and in the bottom of the frame we picked up a pair with a double by Pagliaroni. Merrill Silver took over in the top of the sixth, and Puig came in for the seventh still leading by a pair. He gave up another run, however, and it was Dick Drott who took over in the eighth, now clinging to a one-run lead against a team that has proved to be incredibly tenacious in front of their home crowd. Drott pitched the eighth and ninth, and with one out Tom Heller hit an RBI single that, aided by an E9 error, allowed Reno Bertola to score the tying run. Damn it! Just like that, after we went three up and three down, we were right back in extra innings for the second time today and for the third time in four games over a three day stretch ... our bullpen is taking a beating! Bob Porterfield came out to pitch in the top of the 10th, and he did fine in the first two innings he pitched, only to get completely reamed in the top of the 12th. Paul LaPalme came out there with two outs and a man on third and we’d given up five runs in a flash. That was it for us, as we lost 11-6, barely putting up a fight in the bottom of the inning as our entire team was bushed. Porterfield took the loss, pitching 2.2 innings with five hits, two walks and five earned runs, losing them all on a two-run single by Don Mincher, a sac-fly by John Orsino, and a two-run double by Tom Haller. They outhit us 17-11, which is unacceptable, Willie Davis leading as the leadoff man with three hits, a run and two doubles. We’ve now lost three in a row and let the lowly Tigers whip us three games to one, but we’re still a game and a half up on the Yankees. We’ve got two games on the road in Kansas City () up next, followed by two PIVOTAL games against the Yankees at home that will be our last chance to go head to head against our most heated rival. September 5, 1960: Chuck Stobbs (10-3, 3.89 ERA, 141.0 IP, 63 K’s, 1.32 WHIP) got the start in game one against Kansas City, going up against Ron Negray (5-13, 3.56 ERA, 179.2 IP, 93 K’s, 1.19 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the first with an Ernie Banks groundout that scored Davis from third, and then we let Kansas City take control, tying it up in the second, taking the lead in the fourth and adding on a pair in the fifth to hold a 4-1 lead on us as we came up to hit in the top of the sixth. LaPalme came out in the bottom of the sixth and we got a run back in the top of the seventh thanks to a Jim Pagliaroni solo homer, just his third of the year. Bill Fischer pitched the seventh inning, and we brought Dick Drott out in the eighth still trailing by a pair. He gave up a run and we made a rally attempt in the ninth but came up just short, losing this one 5-4 as our struggles continue. Surely we can’t get this close to the pennant just to let it slip out of our hands? Stobbs fell to 10-4 with five innings allowing seven hits and four earned runs, walking four against a single strikeout, and we were outhit 11-6. Wally Post hit three times and scored a run, driving in two, but there wasn’t a lot else to cheer about. The Yankees beat Boston 3-1 and 3-2 in a Monday doubleheader, so with our loss today we’re now tied up, with one game left in Kansas City before a two-game showdown on our field that may decide the whole thing. September 6, 1960: Fitz Ackley made his major league debut today against Kansas City’s Bob Blaylock (8-10, 3.53 ERA, 137.2 IP, 57 K’s, 1.42 WHIP). They scored in the bottom of the first off a solo homer by Roy Sievers, but Wally Post answered with one of his own in the top of the fourth to tie it up. Ackley got us through the sixth with icewater in his veins, stranding a pair of runners to keep us tied, and Raul Puig took over in the bottom of the seventh still knotted up at 1-1. Puig has pitched a heavy load, playing in four games in the last five days, and he handled himself well in his inning this afternoon, Warren Hacker taking over for him in the bottom of the eighth with the score still deadlocked. He gave up a leadoff hit to Roy Sievers that turned out to be a solo bomb out of left, and the A’s fans went nuts as they took the 2-1 lead. We came up to hit in the top of the ninth trailing by two, and it stayed that way ... our bats came up dead yet again and we lost 3-1, limping into the New York series looking like a team that is October gunshy. Hacker took the loss, falling to 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA, allowing a hit, four walks and two earned runs in his inning, spoiling what was a great night for Ackley, who debuted with six innings and just two hits, two walks and a run, striking out two ... he threw 78 pitches, and we didn’t want to risk blowing his arm out or we’d have kept him out longer to preserve the pen. Each team had five hits, ours led by Post who had two with a run and an RBI. We’ll go into the two game set against the Yankees needing both wins badly ... they now have a 77-54 record to our 78-57 record, so they lead us by a game even with us having played four more games than them. We’ve lost five in a row and seven of our last 10, so if there’s going to be a time to course correct, now would be it. If there’s one thing working in our favor, it’s that we’ve gone 13-7 against them in our first 20 matchups. But can we get two more when it REALLY counts? September 7, 1960: Jack Kralick (16-8, 1.76 ERA, 214.2 IP, 110 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) got the start against Billy O’Dell (16-9, 2.29 ERA, 212.2 IP, 125 K’s, 1.00 WHIP) in a battle of Cy Young contenders. And I know it’s a mid-week series, but I’m disappointed in our fans for not showing up for this battle ... only 34,000 fans checked in this evening, when we needed every voice we could get to help keep New York off balance. Ernie Banks hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third to put us on the board, and Minnie Minoso added some insurance in the bottom of the fifth with a solo bomb of his own. When our bats stayed silent the rest of the way, we had the tough choice with a two-run lead, and chose to trust Kralick, with Freddie Burdette warmed up and ready in the wings. Kaline led off with a pop-out to left for our first out. Mantle singled into left, but then Woodie Held hit into a fantastic double play and we got out of there with a 2-0 shutout! Kralick had a defining win with this six-hit shutout, walking two and striking out five as he improved his ERA to 1.69 and his record to 17-8. We only outhit the Yankees 7-6, but Banks did his part and then some, with three hits, a run and an RBI including homer number 29. September 8, 1960: Jim O’Toole (15-3, 2.52 ERA, 174.2 IP, 113 K’s, 1.06 WHIP) went up against John Buzhardt (4-10, 4.85 ERA, 161.1 IP, 87 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) who has won all four of his games since coming to New York from Cincinnati in a June trade. We took the lead in the bottom of the first, when Banks grounded out but allowed Davis to score from third. So New York answered with a sac-fly by Gus Bell in the top of the second that let Mantle tag up and score to tie it up. We retook the lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI triple by Willie Davis and an RBI single by Minnie Minoso, and a four-run fourth helped us to pull away. We brought out Paul LaPalme to mop up with a seven-run lead in the top of the eighth, and he did the job -- we beat the Yankees 9-2 and our World Series hopes are now very much alive. O’Toole improved to 16-3 with a 2.53 ERA, allowing just three hits, three walks and two runs with seven strikeouts in his seven innings. We outhit them 12-6, led by Willie Davis with three hits, a walk, three runs and two RBIs. He’s hit .311 to this point in the season, with 66 RBIs off 30 doubles, 12 triples and 11 homers, stealing 30 bases to boot! September 9, 1960: Back in the lead in the AL by a game over New York, we now have two games against Baltimore (70-66, 9.5 games back) and then our final game of the year against Boston () on Sunday (they currently sit at 73-63, 6.5 games back of us). The Orioles’ record looks worse because of their 12-21 record in May, but since then they’re 51-40 and have a team that’s tough to beat, though we’ve won 12 out of 20. Billy Pierce (13-5, 3.25 ERA, 183.0 IP, 115 K’s, 1.24 WHIP) pitched against Dave Wickersham (14-12, 3.95 ERA, 200.2 IP, 118 K’s, 1.36 WHIP), and the game was tightly fought until the bottom of the fifth when we got ourselves the lead off an RBI single by Pierce himself. That broke the stalemate, but they answered quickly when Dave Wikersham scored off a balk call, which got us so pissed off we went out and got an RBI single from Banks and an RBI single from Jim Piersall to take a 3-1 lead into the top of the seventh. Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the eighth with a 3-2 lead, and he let the tying run across in the top of the ninth with two outs, as Jerry Lumpe hit an RBI single. Raul Puig took over with two outs and the man on and got us out of there without losing the lead, but we couldn’t hit and therefore faced yet another extra innings affair. But this time we did get the run through when it mattered, Jim Pagliaroni walking it off with a two-out single that, coupled with an E9 error, allowed Ernie Banks to score from second, giving us a 4-3 win. Puig improved to 2-1 with the win, allowing just one hit with a strikeout as his ERA improved to 2.47. They outhit us 9-8, but Pierce helped with his bat as well, hitting two times with an RBI while Minoso added two hits and a run scored. September 10, 1960: Stan Williams (10-9, 3.87 ERA, 151.1 IP, 108 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) pitched against Ted Wills (3-5, 4.85 ERA, 65.0 IP, 45 K’s, 1.18 WHIP) in the second game against the Orioles, and we took the lead in the bottom of the second with a solo homer by Wally Post, his 18th of the season. This one looked like it was going to go sideways when Lenny Green hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to put Baltimore up 3-2, but in the bottom of the ninth, with no outs and the bases loaded, Jim Piersall walked in the tying run and Bobby Morgan reached first on an E5 error to truly “walk this one off,” as we stunned Baltimore 4-3. Stan Williams pitched a complete game, allowing 11 hits, four walks and three earned runs with five strikeouts, surprising everyone by throwing 136 pitches as we made our comeback ... maybe the endurance is there, he just needs to keep building his confidence! He’s now 11-9 with a 3.82 ERA, tying his career wins record set just last year. Baltimore outhit us 11-6, and they had four walks to our two, and we still found ways to win. Wally Post led the way with two hits, a walk, a run and an RBI, while Willie Davis hit twice with a run and an RBI. September 11, 1960: Boston has had our number so far this year, beating us 12 times in 21 tries, with today our final chance to get one back. Chuck Stobbs (10-4, 4.01 ERA, 146.0 IP, 64 K’s, 1.35 WHIP) pitched against Ray Herbert (11-6, 2.98 ERA, 127.0 IP, 57 K’s, 1.22 WHIP), and we took an early lead with a groundout by Minoso that scored Willie Davis plus a solo homer from Banks in the bottom of the first, giving him his 30th of the year. But from there Boston kicked our asses completely and thoroughly, scoring two runs in the second, three in the fourth and three in the sixth to take a commanding lead. Dick Drott took over in the top of the seventh and got through the rest with just one more run scoring, but it didn’t matter ... we lost 9-4 and looked completely hapless out there. I’m not sure what it is about Boston that makes us forget how to both hit and pitch, but it’s there and it’s real. Stobbs fell to 10-5 with a six inning 12 hit effort, striking out three but allowing eight runs, six of which were earned. It’s hard to make up for that no matter what ... and they outhit us 14-11 as well, which made it worse. Willie Davis led the way with three hits and a run scored. We now hold a 2.5 game lead on the Yankees, and will get more days off in the coming weeks while they’ll have to make up ground with much less room for error on their end (including six games against the Red Sox, who are only 5.5 games out of first and three games back of the Yanks). This week we’re off tomorrow, then play Washington (64-75) for two games, take Thursday off, and play four against Detroit (56-84) on the road. We then have two days off, play Kansas City (55-82) at home for a single game, get the next day off, and travel to Cleveland (74-64) for three. We’ll then play our final four games at home ... September 27 against Detroit, and September 30 through October 2 against Cleveland ... fourteen games, seven at home and seven on the road, and our magic number is 14. For this final stretch of games we’re going to switch to a four-man rotation of Kralick, O’Toole, Pierce and Williams. Stobbs and Ackley will step into middle relief roles for the remainder of the season. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-20-2024, 06:01 AM	#136
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	September 13, 1960: Jack Kralick (17-8, 1.69 ERA, 223.2 IP, 115 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) got the start against Washington’s Bill Stafford (12-9, 4.07 ERA, 185.2 IP, 100 K’s, 1.36 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI single by Morgan, an RBI double by Aparicio and and RBI single by Kralick, and Kralick was in control until he wasn’t -- top of the eighth, two outs, a man on and he’d given up three runs in the inning out of nowhere. Freddie Burdette took over and got us out of the inning with the lead still safe, and he was efficient in the ninth to keep it that way so we’d escape with a 6-5 win in this one. Kralick owes him a beer or two later ... he got through 7.2 innings with seven hits and six strikeouts, but those five earned runs could have rung him up. Instead he keeps the win, improving to 18-8 with a 1.83 ERA, thanks to Burdette’s 1.1 inning save, with one hit off 21 pitches. We outhit Washington 11-8, led by Minoso who had four hits, a walk and a run scored. September 14, 1960: Jim O’Toole (16-3, 2.53 ERA, 181.2 IP, 120 K’s, 1.06 WHIP) pitched against Washington’s Bob Veale (10-9, 4.56 ERA, 165.2 IP, 118 K’s, 1.56 WHIP). We traded runs in the opening innings ... they got a homer off the bat of Tommy Davis in the top of the first, but we tied it with an RBI single by Sherm Lollar in the bottom of the second and it stayed that way, tied 1-1, with Freddie Burdette taking over on the mound in the top of the eighth. Amazingly, in the bottom of the ninth, we avoided the annoyance of another extra innings game by walking it off with a leadoff solo homer by Wally Post, winning this one 2-1! Burdette got the win this time, improving to 2-4 with a 2.23 ERA, striking out four batters in his two innings. September 16, 1960: Heading into this four game set on the road in Detroit, we’ve now got an 84-58 record and a 3.5 game lead on New York, and our magic number is down to 11. Milwaukee, meanwhile, is now much closer to clinching ... theirs is at six, and they have an 8.5 game lead on the Dodgers now with an 87-54 record, so they’re in a good position to cinch as early as Monday, since LA is in the midst of a brutal 15-day road trip that still has six games remaining, while Milwaukee gets to host the lowly Phillies this weekend. We matched Billy Pierce (13-5, 3.22 ERA, 190.0 IP, 119 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) against Detroit’s Bob Shaw (10-13, 3.89 ERA, 210.2 IP, 91 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) in today’s game, and it went badly from the get-go ... Pierce gave up four runs off 28 first-inning pitches to spot them a 4-0 lead, and our bats took the day off as the game got worse quickly. Fritz Ackley took over in the sixth inning trailing by seven runs in what was still a shutout, and we lost 10-3, only managing to score in the ninth inning when there was absolutely no chance of us winning it. Pierce had his worst game of the year, 10 hits and seven runs (six earned) with two walks and a strikeout in five innings, and we were outhit 15-9, led by Post (two hits and a run) and Piersall (two hits and an RBI). September 17, 1960: Stan Williams (11-9, 3.82 ERA, 160.1 IP, 113 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) pitched against Don Choate (7-8, 3.47 ERA, 173.2 IP, 103 K’s, 1.27 WHIP). We took the lead in the top of the second with a solo homer by Jim Piersall, and Minoso hit an RBI single in the fifth to extend the lead to 2-0. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the eighth with the lead unchanged, and we held on to win this one 2-0. Williams improved to 12-9, allowing four hits, a walk and five strikeouts in his seven shutout innings. Burdette then saved his 14th game of the year with a strikeout and no baserunners in two innings, giving him a 2.17 ERA through 78.2 innings over 51 appearances. We outht the Tigers 6-4, led by Piersall, who had two hits including his homer, with a run and an RBI as a result. September 18, 1960: It’s the final doubleheader of the season! Jack Kralick (18-8, 1.83 ERA, 231.1 IP, 121 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) pitched in game one against Dan Rowe (12-9, 4.32 ERA, 150.0 IP, 90 K’s, 1.42 WHIP), and we took control quickly in this one, leading 6-0 after just four innings. Kralick pitched another of his patented complete games as we blasted the Tigers 9-2, outhitting them 13-8 behind a three hit, one run two RBI game from Piersall and two hits, three runs and an RBI from Willie Davis. Kralick improved to 19-8 with a 1.83 ERA, allowing eight hits and two runs with seven strikeouts and no free passes. Jim O’Toole (16-3, 2.48 ERA, 188.2 IP, 123 K’s, 1.04 WHIP) started game two, facing Howie Reed (5-5, 3.66 ERA, 123.0 IP, 55 K’s, 1.21 WHIP). We took a quick lead in the top of the first, Piersall hitting into a fielder’s choice that scored Davis, followed a few minutes later by a walk by Morgan that scored another. O’Toole, who was pitching on short rest, got us through five innings with a 4-1 lead, so Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the sixth. Raul Puig took over with one out and clean bases in the bottom of the eighth after a two-run Don Mincher homer cut the lead to one, but he was able to get us out of there with the lead still safe. But Detroit, with two outs against them in the bottom of the ninth, walked it off with a two-run homer from Tom Tresh, stealing this one from us 5-4. Puig blew his fourth save of the year and fell to 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA, allowing three hits and two runs with a strikeout in his 1.1 innings. We were outhit 9-5, Piersall leading the way with three hits, a run and an RBI. September 21, 1960: Billy Pierce (13-6, 3.42 ERA, 195.0 IP, 120 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) faced Milt Pappas (12-17, 3.80 ERA, 232.0 IP, 146 K’s, 1.36 WHIP) in our final game against Kansas City in front of 35,000 fans here at Comiskey. It was never close after we picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run Piersall homer that put us up 3-1. Pierce pitched the rest of the way without looking back and we won with ease, crushing the A’s 6-1, despite only outhitting them 7-5. Pierce improved to 14-6 with a 3.31 ERA, allowing just five hits and a run with six strikeouts. Willie Davis led the way with two hits, two runs and an RBI. Milwaukee has clinched the pennant in the National League at 90-56, holding a nine game lead on the Dodgers who are 81-65 and nine games back, just two and a half up on Pittsburgh as the two fight over who will finish second. Our magic number after tonight’s win is now six, with a three-game lead over New York. Boston is now eliminated at nine games back and in fourth place, with Cleveland (78-67, 8 GB) on the verge of elimination. We have three games against them on the road this weekend as they’ll try to hold it off for just a little longer. September 23, 1960: Jack Kralick (19-8, 1.83 ERA, 240.1 IP, 128 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) has already shattered every career record except innings pitched, a mark he set at 253.2 innings back in 1957, and 141 K’s, a mark he set in 1958. Tonight was his 30th start, and he went up against Tom Cheney (11-13, 3.42 ERA, 200.0 IP, 132 K’s, 1.40 WHIP) with a chance to knock Cleveland out for the season. We took the lead with a walk by Ernie Banks in the top of the third, but they tied us with a Vic Power triple in the bottom of the seventh, taking the lead with a sac-fly by Red Wilson that scored Power. We tied it with a solo homer by Banks in the top of the eighth, his 31st of the year, but they walked it off in the bottom of the ninth with an RBI single by Red Wilson to steal this one 3-2. Kralick will likely get one more start to try for 20 wins, but he has to settle for the loss tonight, falling to 19-9 with 8.2 innings and five hits, three walks, three runs and six strikeouts. This was a real duel, each team notching just five hits, ours led by Banks with a hit, a walk, a run and two RBIs. September 24, 1960: Jim O’Toole (16-3, 2.42 ERA, 193.2 IP, 125 K’s, 1.05 WHIP) faced Cleveland’s Robin Roberts (8-11, 4.55 ERA, 194.0 IP, 72 K’s, 1.25 WHIP). Tied at 1-1 after trading runs in the first two innings, we took the lead in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by Luis Aparicio, adding on with a trio of RBI singles from O’Toole, Minoso and Banks to lead 5-1 midway through the inning. Freddie Burdette took over in the bottom of the seventh leading 5-3, and he let them climb all the way back in, getting a run in the seventh off an RBI single by Manny Jiminez, tying it in the eighth with a Felipe Alou single that was aided by an E8 error. Chuck Stobbs came out to pitch in the botom of the ninth hoping he could get us into extra innings, but they walked it off for the second day in a row, Jerry Kindall hitting an RBI single to steal another close game from us 6-5. That’s been the real bane of our year ... an 8-10 record in extra innings, and a 23-27 record in one-inning games. Burdette blew the save, his fifth, and Stobbs fell to 10-6 with two hits and a run in his inning, no outs. What a bummer. We’d matched them 13-13 on hits, led by Minoso with three hits and an RBI, and by Banks with two hits and an RBI. Cleveland has climbed back to within six games ahead of tomorrow’s final game of the series ... but New York remains three games back, and our magic number is now just four. Can we gut through and get the wins we need to clinch? September 25, 1960: Stan Williams (12-9, 3.66 ERA, 167.1 IP, 118 K’s, 1.17 WHIP) pitched against Cleveland’s Don Nottebart (6-5, 2.92 ERA, 80.0 IP, 35 K’s, 1.23 WHIP). We broke open the game in the top of the fifth, Bobby Morgan scoring off a wild pitch and then Willie Davis hitting a run scoring triple, getting us quickly up by a pair. Ernie Banks hit a two-run double and then came around to score off a groundout by Ed Bailey, giving us a 5-0 lead midway through the inning. Williams stayed out to complete the shutout, beating Cleveland 8-0 as we outhit them 11-4! This was Williams’ third complete game shutout as a major leaguer, and his first four-hitter since 1958, when he pitched a four hitter against Baltimore with five strikeouts and two walks. Tonight he had five strikeouts against three walks, and improved his ERA to 3.47 through 176.1 innings. Ernie Banks led the way with two hits, a run and two RBIs, and the win officially eliminated Cleveland from pennant contention. We have four games left, all at home -- Tuesday against Detroit, followed by three games this weekend against Cleveland. Going into the Detroit game our magic number is just two, and the Yankees trail us by 3.5 games. We can clinch with two wins, a win and a Yankees loss, or two Yankees losses. They have two games left against Washington on the road, followed by three games at home against Boston to end their season. September 27, 1960: Billy Pierce (14-6, 3.31 ERA, 204.0 IP, 126 K’s, 1.23 WHIP) pitched against Don Choate (7-9, 3.48 ERA, 175.2 IP, 104 K’s, 1.28 WHIP). We took control of this one early, with Freddie Burdette taking over in the top of the seventh leading 6-3. From there we put them away easily, Burdette pitching the remainder of the game as we won 9-3! Pierce finished his season with a 15-6 record and a 3.34 ERA, getting through six innings tonight with four hits, two walks, a strikeout and three earned runs. Burdette picked up his 15th save, pitching three innings with two hits, a walk and three strikeouts, giving him a 2.30 ERA through 86 innings ... and we outhit them 14-6, led by Willie Davis with three hits and two runs scored, while Ernie Banks added two hits, two runs and two RBIs. September 28, 1960: The Yankees beat Washington 13-6 last night, so we were watching today to see if they’d lose so we could just get clinching over with. Unfortunately it wasn’t gonna be that easy ... New York blasted the Senators 12-3, so the season comes down to two series: our 89-62 White Sox at home against the 82-69 Cleveland Guardians, and the 86-65 Yankees hosting the 81-70 Boston Red Sox. Our magic number is one, and just three games separate us ... so we need to win a game. If not, if we get swept and the Yankees sweep the Red Sox, we’d have to face a one-game playoff. This is insane! September 30, 1960: We had a crowd of 46,941 on hand this evening at first pitch, under cloudy skies with temps in the low 50s, making this really feel like the start of fall baseball. Jack Kralick (19-9, 1.88 ERA, 249.0 IP, 134 K’s, 0.92 WHIP) pitched against Cleveland’s Don Nottebart (6-6, 3.28 ERA, 85.0 IP, 38 K’s, 1.25 WHIP). Cleveland took the lead in the top of the first, with a Norm Cash solo homer ... but we tied it up with a sac-fly by Minoso in the bottom of the fourth, and Wally Post hit an RBI single to put us into the lead heading into the fifth inning. Willie Davis hit a solo homer to extend the lead in the bottom of the fifth, and we pulled Kralick to rest him, sending Chuck Stobbs out to pitch in the top of the sixth leading 3-1. He did well in the sixth but gave up three runs in the seventh, Ray Boone driving in the go-ahead with a sac-fly that scored Red Wilson to put them up 4-3. We tied it in the bottom of the inning with another RBI by Davis, this time a single, and Freddie Burdette took over in the top of the eighth. But this one just wouldn’t end ... tied 2-2 heading into the top of the 10th, Burdette stayed out and got dinged as Roger Maris doubled in a run to give them a lead ... and that’s where it stayed. We went down quietly and lost this one 5-4. Stobbs blew the save, his first, and Burdette took the loss, falling to 2-5 after three innings with one hit, one walk, one run and four strikeouts. We outhit them 10-9, but again not when it counted ... Davis led the way with three hits, two runs and two RBIs. The Yankees’ game was postponed to tomorrow due to inclement weather, so they’ll play two against Boston tomorrow ... our fate remains in our hands. October 1, 1960: Jim O’Toole (16-3, 2.48 ERA, 199.2 IP, 127 K’s, 1.08 WHIP) started game two against the Guardians, facing Robin Roberts (8-11, 4.70 ERA, 197.1 IP, 72 K’s, 1.29 WHIP). We took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Minoso, who later scored himself off a passed ball to put us up 2-0. But they answered with RBI singles by Roy McMillan and Red Wilson to tie it up in the top of the fourth, as all our blood pressures started rising. Thankfully our bats blasted back in the bottom of the inning, taking the lead with an RBI single by Morgan and adding on with a two-run homer from Luis Aparicio, his first homer of the season! Raul Puig took over with a two-run lead in the top of the eighth, and we made it official with a four run inning in the bottom half, crushing the Guardians 9-3 as we officially clinched the American League pennant! O’Toole will finish his season with a 17-3 record and 2.53 ERA, and he was excellent today with just six hits, three walks and three earned runs with four strikeouts. Puig got his seventh save, pitching two innings with a hit, a walk and a strikeout, and we outhit Cleveland 10-7 -- Aparicio led the way with two hits, both homers, for two runs and six RBIs! I’m damned glad we won today, because otherwise tomorrow would have been UNBEARABLE ... the Yankees shut out Boston in game one of their doubleheader, winning 9-0, and then took game two in 12 innings by a 3-2 margin. October 2, 1960: It rained today, so only 45,700 fans showed up for the final game of the regular season. Dick Drott (3-5, 6 SV, 4.26 ERA, 57.0 IP, 35 K’s, 1.54 WHIP) started against Dave Sisler (3-2, 3.82 ERA, 61.1 IP, 22 K’s, 1.32 WHIP), and he handled the start admirably, exiting the game after six innings with a 3-2 lead. Paul LaPalme took over in the seventh, and he got through the seventh and eighth just fine, but let them get the tying run across in the top of the ninth. Thankfully our bats perked up in the bottom of the inning and we walked it off with a three-run homer by Ed Bailey to win this one 6-3 without the need for the absurdity of extra innings on the last day of the season. LaPalme blew his third save but got the win, finishing the year at 4-4 with a 2.97 ERA, allowing two hits and a run while striking out five batters in his three innings. We outhit them 10-8, led by Willie Davis with three hits, two runs and two RBIs. We finished the season with a 91-63 record and will face off against the 95-59 Milwaukee Braves in the World Series, our first since 1919. This was our best win-loss record since winning 93 games in 1955. The Braves, who have won three of the last four World Series, have the homefield advantage. We’ll open the series in Milwaukee on the 5th, though we plan to try and get as many of our fans in there as we can since it’s such a short trip! __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-21-2024, 12:35 PM	#137
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	1960 World Series Chicago White Sox (91-63) vs. Milwaukee Braves (95-59) October 5, 1960: The Braves are in their fourth World Series of the last five seasons, and they won every time they made it, so we know we have our work cut out for us. We finished with a +187 run differential to their +195, but they were 16-9 in extra innings games and 28-26 in one run games, a big reason they have the better record in this one (our pythagorean record is 97-57, so all those close losses took their toll). Our pitchers have an ERA of 3.35 to their 3.44, but their bullpen has been much more trustworthy, putting up a 3.25 ERA (2nd in the NL) to our 4.50 (7th in the AL). Batting is a push, pretty much ... we’re hitting .265 and leading the AL in OBP (.341), Slugging (.403), WAR (30.7) and runs scored (756), while they’re hitting .267 (2nd in the NL) with OBP of .332 (3rd), a Slug of .433 (1st), 38.0 batting WAR (1st) and with 794 runs scored (1st). Give them the edge in baserunning (+6.9 to +3.9) but really this matchup looks like it’s going to come down to pitching. And our starters give us a distinct edge, if they can go the distance. Jack Kralick (19-9, 1.88 ERA, 254.0 IP, 139 K’s, 0.93 WHIP) started game one of the World Series in Milwaukee against Dick Ellsworth (19-3, 2.69 ERA, 247.1 IP, 142 K’s, 1.11 WHIP). Milwaukee took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Deron Johnson, but Ernie Banks batted in Willie Davis with a double to tie it up in the top of the seventh! We stole the lead from them in the top of the ninth with a sac-fly by Ed Bailey, Minoso tagging up to score, and in the bottom of the ninth they got runners onto second and third with just one out ... but Kralick has icewater in his veins and brass balls, holding firm as he got two quick groundouts to end the game as a 2-1 win for our White Sox! Kralick allowed nine hits, one walk and one (unearned) run with five strikeouts in his complete game, throwing 138 pitches in a dominating performance, as they actually outhit us 9-6! Ernie Banks led the offense with two hits and an RBI, while Minoso added a hit, a walk and a run scored. October 6, 1960: Jim O’Toole (17-3, 2.53 ERA, 206.2 IP, 131 K’s, 1.08 WHIP) pitched against Frank Sullivan (14-8, 3.58 ERA, 228.2 IP, 123 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) in game two, with Sullivan coming off a cold stretch to end the season (he lost his last three starts). We took the lead in the top of the first with an RBI double by Minnie Minoso, and we added on with an RBI single by Piersall in the top of the third to lead 2-0! By the time Willie Davis batted in Aparicio with a double in the top of the sixth, you could hear the crowd’s nervousness as we asserted our control from the mound. Incredibly, O’Toole held on for a complete game shutout as we beat the Braves 3-0, and we’ll be heading back down to Chicago with a two-game lead in the series! O’Toole only allowed three hits with one walk, striking out five as our starters’ ERA remains unblemished (since Kralick’s run yesterday was unearned). If the bullpen’s a liability, why not just let the starters pitch? Seems to be working so far ... plus the bats were hot today -- we outhit them 10-3, led by Willie Davis with three hits, a walk, a run and an RBI, while Minoso added two hits and an RBI. October 8, 1960: The stadium held its 53,000 or so, but I’m told more than 30,000 overflow fans were surrounding the stadium at first pitch today, a clear, windy perfect day for the first playoff baseball in Chicago since 1919! Billy Pierce (15-6, 3.34 ERA, 210.0 IP, 127 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) started against Bob Friend (14-11, 3.37 ERA, 229.2 IP, 86 K’s, 1.27 WHIP), and when we took the lead in the bottom of the second off an RBI single by Bobby Morgan this place physically quaked. Ed Bailey hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, and we extended the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single by Minoso which was followed by a sac-fly by Banks, with Aparicio tagging up to score. Freddie Burdette took over on the mound in the top of the eighth, and he held tough as we blasted the Braves 5-1, sending the NL juggernauts to the brink of a sweep! Pierce pitched seven innings with seven hits, three strikeouts and an earned run, giving him a 1.29 playoff ERA, and Burdette got his save with two innings and just a hit, a walk and four strikeouts. We outhit them 10-8, led by Ed Bailey, who hit twice with a run and an RBI. October 9, 1960: Stan Williams (13-9, 3.47 ERA, 176.1 IP, 123 K’s, 1.15 WHIP) got the game four start, facing Milwaukee’s Ralph Terry (10-7, 4.44 ERA, 182.1 IP, 89 K’s, 1.28 WHIP), and many on press row took it as a sign of defeat that the Braves didn’t go with Ellsworth on short rest with the team on the brink of elimination. But maybe they were smart, since Williams got smashed in the top of the third, allowing five runs before he could finally end the shelling. It happened fast ... a two run single by Clete Boyer followed by a two-run triple by Deron Johnson, capped with an RBI single by Granny Hamner. But that’s how this game goes sometimes ... Chuck Stobbs came out in long relief for us starting in the top of the fourth, but the game quickly became a rout for the Braves as we lost this one 8-2. Our two aces will start tomorrow in game five, as we hope to end this here in Chicago without any more road travel. Williams’ postseason debut was ugly -- six hits, three walks, five runs, three strikeouts in just three innings, giving him a ridiculous 15.00 ERA (small samples are the nature of the playoffs). Stobbs pitched five innings with seven hits, three runs and three strikeouts, giving him a 5.40 ERA, and Paul LaPalme got a good inning in without a baserunner as we mopped up. The Braves outhit us 13-7, our team led by Willie Davis who had three hits and a run scored. October 10, 1960; Kralick brings his 0.00 ERA up against Dick Ellsworth’s 1.00 ERA (both pitchers had one unearned run in the first game of the series) as the two Cy Young candidates square off in a rematch. And once again it became a duel for the ages ... Ted Kluszewski hit an RBI single in the top of the third to put them ahead, but then all scoring stopped for inning after inning, until in the bottom of the eighth we tied it up off a wild pitch, Ed Bailey scoring the unearned run! And this one was too good to end in regulation, we needed extra innings! Freddie Burdette took over for Kralick in the top of the 10th, and in the bottom of the inning, with one out, Ed Bailey became a White Sox hero for life as he walked this off with a two-run homer ... we’d won 3-1, and with the win came the title of World Champions! *The Chicago White Sox are your World Champions, winning the series four games to one!* Kralick damned near went the distance, nine innings with five hits, two walks, six strikeouts and just one earned run, but it came down to Burdette, who pitched an inning with just a single walk, giving him a win and the honor of having a 0.00 ERA in his three postseason innings! Kralick pitched 18 innings and finished with a 0.50 ERA, and we’re really glad to have him locked up long term ... he could become the best pitcher in the game if he stays on this track! We outhit them 7-5 in the duel, led by Bailey who had three hits, two runs and two RBIs to give him a .368 average through the four games. He earned the honor of World Series MVP, with two doubles, two homers and four RBIs, giving him 1.6 playoff WAR. The title is our team’s third in the history of the White Sox club, in our fifth appearance in the series. The other two came in 1906 and 1917, so today’s generation had only a vague inkling of what it was like to be the champs. Here’s hoping we can keep this team coming back for years to come, because this experience was intoxicating! __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-21-2024, 01:02 PM	#138
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	October 12, 1960: Our owner Kelly Schober is still positively giddy about the World Series win, and he’s officially rewarded us with a $600,000 budget bump to $3.84 million. That alone will give us enough resources to challenge the Yankees, Dodgers and Braves as we fight to get back-to-bak pennants and another trip to the Series, while pushing ourselves into position to build the kind of team that can dominate a decade. We have $290,000 in cash room as well, after finishing the season with 2,467,765 tickets sold, by far the best attendance in the majors. He’s given me a few goals for the upcoming season. First, he wants me to sign Willie Davis to a long term deal ... he’s expected to get $14,000 in arbitration this year, but that number is going to jump up rapidly from there, set to reach $101,000 in 1962, $166,000 in 1963 and $194,000 in 1964. In his first two seasons he’s hit .319/.370/.500 with 61 doubles, 25 triples, 39 homers and 168 RBIs, scoring 219 runs as he’s mastered the leadoff spot ... his 13.1 WAR over two seasons is incredible, so I agree it’s a key goal to show him we value him long term. Right now he wants an 11 year deal that has an opt-out after the 1968 season, but is not asking for a no-trade clause. I think we can find a deal that will make everyone happy. He wants a top ten prospect in the farm ... maybe we can make this happen through the draft, but if it requires trading, that may be a tough ask. He also wants a top three farm system, which tends to run counter to our current “win now” mentality. I’ll continue to do my best with the draft, but we’ve had a lot of success bringing guys up to the majors at a young age, which precludes stockpiling young phenoms like Kansas City and their ilk have been doing. It also runs counter to his fourth goal, which is to keep bringing more of my drafted players up to the majors quickly. Can’t have it both ways, buddy ... we’re going to stay the course and keep doing what’s been working, which should help us reach his other goal ... another title in the next six seasons. The big craziness this year is we have to deal with the impending expansion draft ... with new teams in Los Angeles (the Angels) and Washington (the NEW Senators, who will replace the OLD Senators, who are now going to be the Twins of Minnesota) ... confused? So are many of us. The key is we have to protect players from the expansion draft, as the Senators and Angels will be drafting complete teams from the players we DON’T ... Each team can protect 15 players, and everyone with three service years or less are automatically safe. Only three players can be taken from any team, and the expansion draft is not limited to just the American League* ... both leagues have to submit protection lists, which means we’ll have to do this again next year too with the addition of the Texas Rangers and the Houston Colt .45’s. We also have to prepare for the upcoming season’s expanded schedule, which for the first time will feature a 162-game season. * This differs from how it worked in real life, where the AL expansion just took players from AL teams, and the NL expansion took players from just the NL teams. But I assume the game does not account for this since the modern day expansion draft in the era of interleague play requires both leagues to submit expansion lists. I’m not that interested in historical accuracy at this point, as far as my league has already diverged from the historical record, so I’ll embrace the challenge of two back-to-back expansion drafts. That’s a lot. It’s gonna be a wild offseason: 10/16: Draft Pool announced 11/2: Arbitration hearings 11/4: Free Agency filings 11/15: Rookie Draft 11/16: Expansion Draft protection lists due 11/17: Expansion Draft 11/21: Winter Meetings begin We’ll keep you up to date as we do everything in our power to keep this team the best the American League has to offer. October 16, 1960: The draft this year does not look to be huge on “can’t lose” talent at the top, and the early favorites are all young high school aged guys who we’ll never have a chance at since we won the title and will be picking 15th, ahead of only the Braves, Angels and Senators. Looking at the draft as a whole, I can’t say I’ve seen worse depth since starting my managerial career ... so finding diamonds in this rough could be a real challenge. We’re not rescinding arbitration offers to anyone, and have offered Warren Hacker a one year extension at $38,000 but are awaiting his reply. All other minor leaguers have been offered standard minor league extensions, with CF Lou Johnson and RP Ed Roebuck almost certainly heading to free agency once the filings are official. October 20, 1960: Gold Glove awards have been announced, and we had two of them ... Jack Kralick won the pitcher Gold Glove, and Jim Piersall, who had a +8.2 zone rating and only five errors all year at center field, took home the Gold Glove at that position, his sixth year in a row winning it across his time in Boston, Philly and now Chicago. We have him locked up for the long haul, so our defense at center is destined to remain top notch. October 22, 1960: The Al’s Platinum Stick awards were announced today, and Ed Bailey took home the award at catcher, Ernie Banks took his easily at shortstop, and Willie Davis won for hitting among right fielders. October 24, 1960: My record this year apparently impressed my contemporaries enough that they’ve named me AL Manager of the Year! That’s not bad at all considering that I’m still just 444-480 over my first six seasons as a major league manager. It may be hard to top winning the World Series in my first season managing in the playoffs, but I’m up to the challenge! October 25, 1960: Jack Kralick officially can say that, at age 25, he’s a Cy Young winner! Kralick threw 31 starts this year and pitched a career high 254 innings, finishing with a 19-9 record, a 1.88 ERA and 139 K’s against 48 walks, giving him a 0.93 WHIP and 6.8 total WAR, earning himself a $13,000 bonus in the process! He was a unanimous winner, finishing with nearly double the points of Billy O’Dell, his nearest competitor. Jim O’Toole (17-3, 2.53 ERA, 206.2 IP, 131 K’s, 1.08 WHIP, 4.6 WAR) finished fourth place in the voting. October 26, 1960: Mickey Mantle continues to have the baseball press enamored with him, as he won his fourth MVP in five years in the AL ... nobody even stood a chance against him, as he hit .337 with 16 doubles, 33 homers and 130 RBIs this year with 9.5 WAR, beating out Roger Maris of the Cleveland Guardians, who hit .277 but with 22 doubles, 50 homers and 137 RBIs, with 16 stolen bases and 7.6 WAR. Keep an eye on Maris, though ... he may not hit as well for contact, but he’s already got 174 homers in just his first five seasons, and he hasn’t shown any signs that he plans to slow down. October 28, 1960: Warren Hacker signed his contract, so the four-time World Champion reliever will have one more year with us at $38,000. He went 6-7 this year with a 3.35 ERA, striking out 36 batters in 102 innings, and his pinpoint control will surely keep him well entrenched in our bullpen. At the least, his veteran leadership has to be worth quite a bit ... he’s always been the kind of player who does what he needs to do for his team, whether he was winning a title with Milwaukee or with us. November 4, 1960: It’s a pretty weak free agency pool this year, particularly when it comes to top-end bullpen arms and middle infielders, the positions I’d be more likely to sign. So I’m going to sit things out until I see how the rookie draft and the whole expansion raid goes. November 15, 1960: Kansas City once again picked first in the draft this year, and this year they drafted 22-year-old Tony Oliva at right field. An international player from Cuba, he does look like the best guy in the draft according to OSA ratings, though my scout wasn’t particularly impressed. ROUND 1, Pick 15: 3B Ken McMullen We wound up going with third baseman Ken McMullen with our 15th pick in the first round, who has high potential defensively at first, third, left and right field, along with plus-level raw power, above average contact skills and huge potential overall. He’s also durable and young ... at 18, we can take the time to let him develop in our minors and give him time to find his rhythm. ROUND 2, Pick 33: SP Dave Morehead We went with a durable starting pitcher, Dave Morehead, in the second round, but his stuff may end up being better suited to a multi-inning bullpen role long term though our scout says he has the potential to develop into a back-end starter -- at age 17, I like his four pitch mix, which includes a killer curveball and an above average fastball, slider and cutter. ROUND 3, Pick 53: SP Gene Brabender We went with another pitcher in the third round, 19-year-old right handed starter Gene Brabender, who lacks control right now and is a long-term prospect, but his stuff is already there and he’s durable. With enough time, he could become a frontline starter, if he can work on his stamina and command. Beyond that, this draft is high on long-term guys with marginal potential at best, so we’ll wait and see who among them suddenly rise to the top (or if any do). It was a weak draft in general, and outside the top three I don’t have big expectations. We’ve made our list for protections ahead of the expansion draft: SP: Jack Kralick, Stan Williams, Billy Pierce RP: Freddie Burdette, Chuck Stobbs, Raul Puig C: Ed Bailey 1B: Minnie Minoso 2B: Bobby Morgan 3B: Daryl Spencer SS: Ernie Banks LF: Anthony Washington, Wally Post CF: Gene Stephens, Jim Piersall November 17, 1960: The NEW Washington Senators drafted RF Willie Kirkland from us in the fifth round and SS Luis Aparicio from us in the sixth round. The LA Angels took starter Bennie Daniels in the 14th round. We didn’t lose anyone we couldn’t afford to part with, though Aparicio was always a solid contributor. He was never going to start as often as he’d like, so he’ll be better off playing for a team that needs him. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-21-2024, 01:59 PM	#139
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	November 30, 1960: Huge news for Yankees fans ... Hank Aaron, the 1957 MVP who won three world titles with the Milwaukee Braves, became a free agent on November 4th, and the 26-year-old signed an eight year deal with New York worth $1,952,000 in total money committed ... he’ll earn $214,000 this year, an amount that will rise incrementally until 1964, at which point he’ll earn $254,000 per year through 1968 when he’ll be 34 years old and still in the prime of his career. Aaron hit .332 this year with Milwaukee with 38 doubles, 35 homers, 113 RBIs and 7.5 total WAR, winning the NL’s Platinum Stick award at right field. The Yankees are reportedly transitioning Aaron to first base because Al Kaline has right field locked up for them. This is definitely a move that makes the Yankees a formidable opponent for years to come, though with Casey Stengel’s retirement after missing the World Series this season, there is a lot up in the air for recently hired manager Ralph Kennedy, age 36, who has zero major league management experience. If he can’t get them back to the biggest stage in baseball quickly, you just know that New York media will eat him alive, especially in this expanded 162-game era. December 16, 1960: We’ve made a move to improve our team defensively in the infield, acquiring 26-year-old Gene “Augie” Freese from Minnesota’s Twins, in exchange for a pair of our top prospects: 23-year-old second baseman Pedro Gonzalez, from AAA San Diego (#49, BNN), and 18-year-old right handed starter Fred Newman, from AA Lincoln (#20, BNN), along with $125,000 in cash. Freese, who put up 2.8 WAR last year for the then-Washington Senators, hit .227 with 24 doubles and 14 homers with 64 RBIs, but the key is he can play second, third or short at an extremely high level. He would be a huge improvement over Daryl Spencer at third base or over Ernie Banks at short (with Banks potentially moving over to third base). He has incredible gap power, and hits well for contact, having won the 1958 platinum stick at short and a Gold Glove at short in 1960. He’s a free agent after the 1960 season, earning $192,000 this year, but if he works out well, he’ll be the kind of guy who can sign a solid deal long term and provide great defense well into the coming decade. Neither prospect was going to have a window to come up to the majors any time soon, with Morgan locked in at second base and our pitching rotation already full of young arms who are all developing well. Seemed like a great time to make a move to improve our defense as we work to keep the rest of the AL on their toes as we defend our title, especially in a weak free agent market like this is. December 19, 1960: Willie Davis officially signed his long term deal to stay in Chicago! The 12-year deal, worth $3.12 million if he opts into the back half, will keep him on the southside through 1973, when he’ll be 33 years old. The first six years will start next season with a salary of $48,000, adding $48,000 per year through 1966, with a $300,000 salary in 1967. He then has an opt-out in his contract, but if he signs on for the back half, he’ll earn $350,000 per year including a vesting option in 1973 that is voided if he doesn’t reach 600 plate appearances in 1972. He did not ask for a no-trade clause or for any other cash incentives, and if he continues to hit like he has since being drafted, I suspect this will work out to be a very good deal for our team. December 20, 1960: We opted not to take anyone in this year’s rule five draft, and we didn’t lose anyone to other teams either. The NEW Washington Senators took players in each of the draft’s eight rounds, including SP Tom Bowers from the Tigers, SP Gary Peters and RP Edy Blanko from the Orioles, SP Roland Passaro from the Phillies, RP Dick Mrofka, RP John Brogan and RP Tom Pakes from the Cubs, and RP Kenneth Wright from the Braves. I suspect they’ll send more than a few of them back, but as an expansion team you have to try and get players where you can. We had left defensive LF Bob Farley unprotected, but apparently no teams wanted a player who hit .297 with 83 RBIs at AAA San Diego with 2.8 WAR. Fine by me, we were able to keep the 23-year-old with all his options, and he’s a potential defensive backup at the major league level if we have any injury issues -- but for now we can avoid putting the former fifth-rounder in a 40-man spot. January 11, 1961: Nobody made the Hall of Fame again this year, and in fact nobody even got more than 50 percent of the votes. The press continue to be extremely stingy with their voting, and we may make it late into the new decade before seeing anyone new enshrined in Cooperstown. February 12, 1961: We have our schedule for the upcoming season, with spring training games a month away. And we’ll be opening the year on the road, with three games at expansion Washington April 10, 12 and 13. We’ll then play three against Detroit on the road April 14-16, before a week of home games that starts with two games against Washington April 18 and 20. We’ll play the new LA Angels for the first time on our field April 24-25, and we won’t face the Yankees until a four game road series May 26-28. This new 162 game season is going to be brutal, however, especially when it comes to travel. A good example is a late-May road trip ... We’ll play Minnesota here in Chicago on May 16, fly west to LA for three games in two days May 18-19, and then fly east for a May 21 doubleheader in Boston that starts a stretch with 11 games in eight days in Boston, Baltimore, and New York. That’s INSANE ... We then have a situation in late June that involves a game in Detroit on June 29 followed by a west coast game in LA on June 30, followed by a quick turnaround back east from LA on July 2 to Minnesota on June 3 ... that stretch of road games features 15 games in 13 days including a pair of doubleheaders, stretching from June 27 through July 9 as we go into the All Star break. It’s going to definitely be a challenge to repeat in the AL this year, even with the two expansion teams watering things down competition-wise. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

12-21-2024, 03:02 PM	#140
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,816	March 6, 1961: We started spring training today with the 38 players on our 40-man roster all headed to the complex, along with LF Bob Farley, closer Wayne Schurr and reliever Bob Heffner, who are not on that roster. I also invited Dave Morehead, this year’s second rounder, though I do not expect him to make it on our 25-man roster for the start of spring. April 5, 1961: We got some good news out of the development complex this week! - *Stan Williams* worked with our training staff to increase his stamina on the mound, and the 24-year-old should now be capable of more consistently pitching his way deep into games. Last year 19 of his 28 starts were quality starts, but he only had two complete games, and has just eight complete games out of his first 86 starts. So we’re hopeful to see him more frequently get into the eighth and ninth innings as the season progresses. - Relief pitcher *Raul Puig* worked on his strength and conditioning and was successful, which should improve his overall durability. Puig was 2-2 last year with seven saves in 48 total bullpen appearances between our team and Philly, with a 2.63 ERA through 68.1 innings pitched. And everything I’ve seen from him convinces me he will be a key player in our bullpen during this extended regular season. - We had three pitchers working on their velocity, including Cy Young winner *Jack Kralick, who now is able to consistently throw in the mid-90s, improving his fastball significantly. He’s always relied on his slider, curve, changeup and cutter, but having the ability to surprise batters with a better-zipping fastball will give him added edge this year for sure. Freddie Burdette* actually improved his velo significantly, and now can regularly throw his curveball and sinker in the upper 90s, increasing the quality of his stuff significantly. Couple that with his solid movement and above average control, and he should remain a top stopper for us, potentially pitching triple digit innings. Minor league closer-type *Merrill Silver* also improved his velo to 97+ miles per hour on his fastball and slider, though he continues to lack good movement or control ... the 25-year-old is a good groundball pitcher, however, and he’ll likely get time in our bullpen at the major league level more than he did last year, though if he doesn’t get his ERA down significantly he may prove to be more valuable as trade bait. We’ll soon see. April 9, 1961: Opening Day is tomorrow, and we got through the spring with a 19-11 record, trailing New York (21-9) and Minnesota (22-8). The two new members of the AL weren’t “awful,” per se, but Washington (13-17) certainly did better than the LA Angels, who finished 8-22, tied for last place with Kansas City. Here’s our opening day roster for your perusal: *Lineup* C - Ed Bailey 1B - Minnie Minoso 2B - Bobby Morgan 3B - Ernie Banks SS - Gene Freese LF - Wally Post CF - Jim Piersall RF - Willie Davis *Bench: C Jim Pagliaroni, 1B Sherm Lollar, 3B Daryl Spencer, LF Gene Stephens, RF Jesse Washington Starters* 1 - Jack Kralick 2 - Billy Pierce 3 - Jim O’Toole 4 - Stan Williams 5 - Chuck Stobbs *Bullpen* ST - Bobby Burdette SE - Raul Puig MR - Dick Drott, Warren Hacker, Merrill Silver LR - Fred Green, Bob Porterfield Our owner is all in for us to win a repeat title, and the press pretty much has us locked in as such, predicting we’ll go 114-48 and beat the Yankees by about five games in a tight pennant race thanks to the dillution of talent which has Washington expected to lose 111 games with LA’s Angels expected to finish slightly better with 110 losses. Minnesota, Kansas City and Detroit are expected to round out the bottom half of the ten-team standings, in that order. The NL is expected to be a much tighter battle, with Pittsburgh (87-68) and Milwaukee (84-70) expected to be the cream of that crop, with Cincinnati and Chicago expected to be at the bottom with 69 wins apiece. All eyes are on Baltimore’s Ron Santo, 21, who put up 4.7 WAR last year with a .300 average, 29 doubles, 14 homers and 64 RBIs as he won the AL Rookie of the Year award. He’s expected to lead the league in batting average, with Maris favored to win the homer title again with 54 ... though Ernie Banks and Mickey Mantle are expected to be right there in that fight along with Cleveland’s Rocky Colavito and Norm Cash ... Billy O’Dell is the favorite to win the Cy Young, with a surprising number of press voters picking Milt Pappas of Kansas City to have a breakout season. Kralick was picked to win 20 games but finish second or third in a tight pitching race. We all know what those preseason predictions are good for, however. There are 162 games to play in the next six months, and anything can and often will happen during that time frame. __________________ "Goodbye To 'The Mack'": The 1916 A's In Peril -- An OOTP 27 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)