The Golden Age Of Baseball

[PhillieFever]

Tuesday May 25th, 1948

Bluege Out As Nats' Boss

Washington, DC- Ossie Bluege, manager of the Washington Senators, has relinquished that position in order to become supervisor of the club's farm teams effective immediately club President Calvin Griffith announced.No successor has been selected, but sources close to the team say that longtime team first baseman Joe Kuhel will be offered the job.
Bluege, who came to the Washington Senators 27 years ago, succeeded Bucky Harris as manager in 1943 and in his first season finished second. In 1945 he brought the club back into second place, only a game and a half behind the pennant winning Tigers, and was acclaimed manager of the year. Last season however Washington finished in last place after being touted as a pennant contender. This season, the team has done no better, losing 11 of their last 14 to fall into 7th place with a record of 15-22. A decision on who will replace Bluege should be announced during the week.

[PhillieFever]

Friday May 28th, 1948

Tribe Hand Sox 6th Straight Loss 6-3; Doby Injured

Comiskey Park- With single runs in 6 separate innings, the Cleveland Indians slowly but surely eased their way past the slumping White Sox, defeating them by the score of 6-3. Starting pitcher Gene Beardon was solid once again for the Tribe allowing 3 runs on 7 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4 for his 4th win of the season. LF Allie Clark paced the Cleveland offensive attack, going 4 for 5 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, 2B Joe Gordon added a homer. On a down note, Indians rookie sensation Larry Doby injured his back on a swing in the 3rd inning and had to leave the game. He was later diagnosed with a slipped disc which could keep him out of the lineup for 2-3 weeks.

MLB Trades And Transactions

The Cincinnati Reds have selected 25 year old 1B Howie Schultz off of waivers from the Phillies, paying Philadelphia the $10,000 waiver fee.

Baseball's Big Six

1. Enos Slaughter(SLC) .396
2. Johnny Mize(NYG) .371
3. Stan Musial(SLC) .371
4. Yogi Berra(NYY) .363
5. Larry Doby(Cle) .352
6. Joe DiMaggio(NYY) .343

MLB Standings

[PhillieFever]

BTW, the fantistical skin that I'm using was created for me by Questdog, using a template originally created by Justafan for the PBBA. I'm not sure who the original creator of the Hardball Heroes logo is.

[PhillieFever]

MLB Players Of The Week For Week Ending May 30th, 1948

[PhillieFever]

Volume 2 Issue 7 June 1948

Anchored by a pitching staff that may be the best in the big leagues, the Cleveland Indians dominated the month of May, winning 16 of their last 18 to end the month with a record of 28-11, good enough for the top spot in the circuit. Hurlers Bob Feller(5-2, 2.58 ERA), Bob Lemon(4-3, 2.91 ERA), and Gene Beardon(5-2, 2.48 ERA) have been nothing short of phenomenal on the hill, while injured CF Larry Doby(.352, 4 HR, 13 RBI) along with infielders Ken Keltner(.279, 8 HR, 25 RBI) and Lou Boudreau(.301, 18 RBI) have paced the surprisingly good Indians offense.

Sitting just 2 games behind Cleveland, the 27-14 Yankees have been doing it with the lumber, ranking 1st in nearly every offensive category including batting average(.278), runs scored(233) and home runs(36). Unlike last season, CF Joe DiMaggio(.325, 11 HR, 38 RBI) and RF Tommy Henrich(.336, 6 HR, 9 HR) are both healthy and ripping the cover off the ball, while 2nd year catcher Yogi Berra(.355, 7 HR, 27 RBI) has quickly become one of the premier backstops in the loop. The pitching has been OK so far, as Vic Rashci(5-4, 3.53 ERA) and Eddie Lopat(5-3, 4.72), along with the surprising Rudy Gumpert(6-1, 1.45 ERA) slowly begin to round into form.

Missing both LF Ted Williams(.453, 5 HR, 12 RBI) and 23 year old lefty starter Mel Parnell(3-1, 4.12 ERA) for most of the month, the Boston Red Sox still managed to go 20-11 in May, giving them an overall mark of 24-18, good enough for 3rd place in the league. Picking up the slack for the injured Williams, CF Dom DiMaggio(.336, 23 RBI, 26 R) has been spectacular, as has new RF Stan Spence(.276, 5 HR, 24 RBI) who has made himself right at home in the Boston locker room. On the mound, rightys Joe Dobson(7-2, 3.27 ERA) and Tex Hughson(5-1, 1.41 ERA) have been the best of a solid staff.

Ending the month with 4 wins in their last 5 games, the Detroit Tigers managed to go 16-13 in May, giving them an overall record of 22-18, placing them solidly in 4th place. Ranked 3rd in runs scored(200) and 5th in runs allowed(201), the Tigers are going to have to pick up the pace if they hope to contend, but with players like 3B George Kell(.315, 18 RBI, 26 R) and pitchers Hal Newhouser(5-4, 2.89), Virgil Trucks(4-2, 3.63 ERA) and the surprising Art Houtteman(4-1, 2.88 ERA) they have the talent to do it.

After a strong April, the Chicago White Sox struggled mightily in May, losing 10 of their last 13 to end the month with a record of 19-22, dropping them from 1st to 5th place. The reason has again been hitting, with the club ranking last in batting average(.233), runs scored(135) and home runs(13). Former Yankee Aaron Robinson(.264, 3 HR, 11 RBI) has been the team's most consistent player.

Entering the season with high hopes following last season's 83-71 finish, the Philadelphia Athletics have stumbled out of the gate, going just 12-20 in May for an overall record of 18-25, putting them in 6th place, already 12 games out of first. 23 year old lefty Alex Kellner(4-1, 2.89) has been the lone bright spot on an otherwise bad staff, while 1B Ferris Fain(.276, 1 HR, 14 RBI), 3B Hank Majeski(.259, 1 HR, 26 RBI) and OF Elmer Valo(.273, 19 RBI) have all failed to return to last year's form. New manager Jimmie Dykes, who took over for the retired Connie Mack had this to say: "I'm disappointed sure, but there's still over a hundred games left to play, don't count us out just yet"

With a dismal record of 9-23 in May, the Washington Senators find themselves in a huge early hole, 14 and a half games out of first with a record of 16-28, and with the team neither hitting or pitching well at all, there's no reason to believe things are going to get any better for baseball fans in the nation's capital. 1B Mickey Vernon(.273, 4 HR, 31 RBI) has been far and away the team's best player, while somehow, starting pitcher Ray Scarborough has managed to go 7-4 in the early going despite a 4.83 ERA.

After starting the season 2-18, the Browns have been better recently, going 8-10 over their last 18 games for an overall mark of 10-28, easily the worst in the big leagues. The biggest problem has been the pitching staff which ranks dead last in the loop in ERA(5.35), Oavg(.304) and starter's ERA(5.39). Offensively the team has gotten surprisingly good play from 20 year old rookie outfielder Dick Kokos, who's hitting .274 with 8 homers and 25 RBI.

[PhillieFever]

Volume 2 Issue 8 June 1948

Despite winning 84 games and a world's championship last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates were labeled "flukes" by the pundits and expected to be out of the running this year. So far however, they continue to defy the experts, and following a month of May in which they were 17-14, the Pirates remain in first place in the circuit with an overall mark of 25-17. Unlike last season though, the pitching has been bad, with starter Fritz Ostermueller(7-0, 2.47 ERA) the main reason the team remains in first place. At the plate, the Bucs are as formidable as ever, with outfielders Dixie Walker(.327, 4 HR, 27 RBI) and Ralph Kiner(.288, 10 HR, 29 RBI) and 2B Danny Murtaugh(.310, 27 RBI) leading the way.

After a bit of a rough patch following the loss of reigning rookie of the year Jackie Robinson to a broken collarbone, the Dodgers began to put it together towards the end of the month, winning 11 of their last 15 to end May with an overall record of 22-20, tying them with the Giants for 2nd place in the league. Veteran acquisition Preacher Roe(8-0 1.80 ERA) has been nothing short of dominating, while 22 year old Ralph Branca(4-2, 3.35 ERA) continues to show signs of improvement. At the plate, 28 year old Gene Hermanski(.343, 5 HR, 29 RBI) along with rookies Roy Campanella(.250, 6 HR, 17 RBI) and Duke Snider(.309, 4 HR, 24 RBI) have rejuvenated a Brooklyn offense that struggled last season to score runs.

Thanks to the veteran twirling of Larry Jansen(6-3, 3.54 ERA) and Bobo Newsom(5-4, 3.31 ERA), the Giants pitching staff has been just good enough to support their overpowering offense which leads the league with 41 home runs. 1B Johnny Mize, fresh off his MVP season of a year ago, is once again dominating the loop, hitting .364 with 11 homers, and 35 RBI, which places him 2nd in the league in all three categories. Because of this, the Giants are right in the thick of things, tied for 2nd with Brooklyn at 22-20.

Despite boasting the finest lefty righty combination on the circuit with Warren Spahn(7-1, 1.44 ERA) and Johnny Sain(5-4, 1.78 ERA), the Braves pitching staff has as of yet not been able to overcome the team's lackluster hitting, and because of that they find themselves at 21-20 overall, and in 4th place in the league. If however this team does get it's bats going, look out.

On an even keel for most of the year, the Cincinnati Reds have hung around the .500 mark all season long, and right now find themselves at 22-21 and in 5th place, three and a half games out. A late bloomer, 31 year old LF Hank Sauer(.293, 13 HR, 26 RBI) has been tremendous in the early going, but a recent injury will keep him out of the lineup for the next 3 weeks, putting more pressure on a pitching staff that is thin but solid.

With a 7-4 record since changing managers on May 23rd, the Phillies have climbed to the .500 mark at 22-22, a drastic improvement over last season. Sluggers Del Ennis(.315, 6 HR, 32 RBI) and Dick Sisler(.289, 9 HR, 26 HR) have been potent in the middle of the Phillies lineup, while SP Blix Donnelly(6-2, 2.84 ERA) has been the best of a shaky bunch that may been getting reinforced in short order by Minor league phenom Robin Roberts who's gone 8-1 for the Phillies Interstate League team in Wilmington.

Quite possibly the most disappointing team in the big leagues, the Cardinals staggered through May, going just 14-19, giving them an overall mark of 19-23 and placing them in 7th in the league. Offensively the team has performed as expected, with Enos Slaughter(.387, 3 HR, 27 RBI), Stan Musial(.346, 11 HR, 34 RBI), and Ron Northey(.347, 8 HR, 32 RBI) leading a lineup that leads the league in several categories, including batting average(.283) and slugging percentage(.419). Starting pitching however has been a disappointment, with Harry Brecheen(4-3, 4.29 ERA), and Al Brazle(1-4, 4.83) failing to pick up the slack for injured Howie Pollet(1-1, 2.82 ERA) who's expected back this week.

Not a surprise however has been the play of the Cubs, who sit at 16-26 and in last place, 9 games out of first. The genesis for the team's problems lie with the pitching staff, which ranks last in ERA(4.41), 7th in runs allowed(220) and 7th on Oavg.(.279). The lone bright spot has been 27 year old lefty Johnny Schmitz(5-2, 2.48 ERA), the lone hurler with an ERA under 4.21. Offensively, RF Bill Nicholson continues to be one of the league's best, batting .280 with 11 homers and 38 RBI.

[PhillieFever]

American League Batting Leaders
June 1st, 1948

[PhillieFever]

American League Pitching Leaders
June 1st, 1948

[PhillieFever]

National League Batting Leaders
June 1st, 1948

[PhillieFever]

National League Pitching Leaders
June 1st, 1948

[PhillieFever]

MLB Award Winners For May 1948

Rookies Of The Month

Browns rookie LF Dick Kokos has been named the AL rookie of the month for may, following a month in which he hit .309 with 6 doubles, 8 homers, 23 RBI, and 18 runs scored.

In the National League,21 year old Duke Snider has won the rookie of the month award for May, thanks to a month in which he batted .342 with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, 20 RBI and 17 runs scored. Quite a month for any ballplayer, but especially tremendous for a player just 21 years old.

Pitchers Of The Month

30 year old Yankees pitcher Randy Gumpert had himself quite a month of May, going 5-1 with a 1.07 ERA in his 7 starts, while striking out 16 and walking 14 in 59.1 innings pitched. For his efforts, he's been named the American League pitcher of the month for May.

In his first year in Brooklyn, 33 year old left hander Preacher Roe has made himself quite an impression, going 6-0 with a 1.67 ERA in his 6 starts this month, easily winning the National League's pitcher of the month award.

Batters Of The Month

One of the most celebrated ballplayers ever, Yankees CF Joe DiMaggio had himself quite a month in May, batting .325 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 7 homers, 28 RBI, and 31 runs scored, earning himself the trophy for the American league batter of the month for May.

Giants slugger Johnny "The Big Cat" Mize has been named the NL batter of the month for May. Mize batted an eye popping .411 this month, with 4 doubles, 9 homers, 31 RBI, and 21 runs scored.

[PhillieFever]

Wednesday June 2nd, 1948

Barrett Halts Bucs On 2 Hits, Braves Win 8-0

Forbes Field- In the opening game of an important 4 game series in Pittsburgh, Braves hurler Red Barrett stifled the hard hitting Pirates, holding them to just 2 hits in an 8-0 Braves victory.
Making just his 4th start of the season, Barrett(2-0) held the Pirates hitless into the 6th inning, before allowing a one out single to Elmer Riddle, breaking up the no hitter. The Pirates would manage another one out single in the 7th before Barrett shut it down, retiring the final 8 batters in order. At the plate, Boston got a big day from 3B Bob Elliott who was 2 for 3 with a walk, a 2 run homer, 5 RBI and a run scored.

MLB Trades And Transactions

The Cleveland Indians have traded 30 year old SP Al Gettel and 25 year old Pat Seerey to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for 27 year old RF Bob Kennedy.

Baseball's Big Six

1. Enos Slaughter(SLC) .390
2. Johnny Mize(NYG) .361
3. Whitey Loxkman(NYG) .360
4. Yogi Berra(NYY) .355
5. Larry Doby(Cle) .352
6. Barney McCosky(PHA) .331

MLB Standings

[PhillieFever]

Thursday June 3rd, 1948

Heath Injured In Braves 8-2 Win
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Roe Goes To 9-0 For Brooks

Forbes Field- In another dominating victory, the Braves easily dispatched of the Pirates, scoring 8 times in the first 3 innings off of Pittsburgh starter Fritz Ostermueller on their way to an 8-2 victory. Starting pitcher Johnny Sain was brilliant once again, going the distance while holding the Bucs to 2 runs on 4 hits, walking 0 and striking out 6. Bob Elliott, Phil Masi, and Frank McCormick each had multi-hit 2 RBI days to pace the suddenly potent Boston attack. On a down note, the Braves will be without slugging LF Jeff Heath until maybe September, due to a back injury suffered when Heath smashed into the wall while making the catch to end the game.

Roe Still Perfect

Facing a tough Cardinals offense, Brooklyn hurler Preacher Roe ran his record to 9-0 with a well pitched 5-1 victory at Sportsman's Park today. Roe allowed a run on 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 5 over 8 innings before leaving the game for a pinch hitter in the 9th, reliever Joe Banta finished up, twirling a perfect 9th to protect the win.

Baseball's Big Six

1. Enos Slaughter(SLC) .399
2. Whitey Lockman(NYG) .360
3. Johnny Mize(NYG) .358
4. Yogi Berra(NYY) .355
5. Larry Doby(Cle) .352
6. Dom DiMaggio(Bos) .333

MLB Standings

[PhillieFever]

Friday June 4th, 1948

Dusak Suspended Following Locker Room Tirade

Sportsman's Park- Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th with a runner on 1st and nobody out, Cardinals SS Erv Dusak was called out on strikes on a bad call by home plate umpire Art Gore, causing a huge uproar which ended with Dusak and Cards manager Eddie Dyer both being ejected from the game. When the game ended however with the Cards 3-2 losers Dusak exploded in the locker room, calling Gore "an incompetent busher who doesn't belong on a big league ballfield" before going on to more colorful language not fit for newsprint. After getting wind of the tirade, National League president Ford Fricke denounced Dusak's actions and suspended him for 5 games.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Wow....Enos Slaughter on a rampage!

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by EMSoccerCoach

Wow....Enos Slaughter on a rampage!

Although it's way to early to talk about a run at .400, it sure would be fun to follow.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

Although it's way to early to talk about a run at .400, it sure would be fun to follow.

Absolutely. Oscar Charleston gave it a go in the PBL back in 2010. Great fun to track...he ended up at .397. Only one other player has ever topped .380.

[PhillieFever]

Saturday June 5th, 1948

Braves Hang On To Sweep Pirates, Move Into 1st

Forbes Field- Thanks to Warren Spahn's dominating 7-0 victory yesterday, the Braves entered today's contest one win away from completing the sweep and moving past Pittsburgh into first place in the league, and just as they had in the previous three games, the Braves wasted no time going on the attack, scoring 5 times in the 3rd and 3 times in the 4th to take a commanding 8-2 lead into the bottom of the 4th. This day however the Pirates would not roll over, scoring twice in the 4th, and once in the 6th and 7th to head into the bottom of the 9th trailing 9-6. In the 9th, Braves reliever Johnny Antonelli walked the first 3 batters he faced, loading the bases with nobody out before striking out pinch hitter Eddie Bockman on a beautiful 1-2 curveball. Johnny Hopp then grounded right back to Antonelli who quickly went home for the force and the second out of the inning. With the bases still loaded, SS Stan Rojek lined a clean single to left scoring two runs and closing the gap to 9-8 for slugger Ralph Kiner who was promptly pounded in the back with an Antonelli fastball, reloading the bases for Wally Westlake, who ran the count full before striking out on a high fastball to end the game and the Pirates reign at the top of the National League standings.

Medwick's Milestone Single Wins It For Cards

He can always say he did it with style! 36 year old Cardinals veteran Joe "Ducky" Medwick collected the 2,500th hit of his Major League career today on a 14th inning RBI single that gave St. Louis a much needed 4-3 victory over a very determined Brooklyn Dodgers team. A veteran of 17 big league seasons who's played in exactly 2,000 games, Medwick is a career .323 hitter with 535 doubles, 116 triples, 207 home runs, 1,386 RBI, and 1,203 runs scored. He's played in 10 all-star games, won one MVP award, been a member of 2 pennant winners and one world championship team, and will one day become a member of the baseball Hall Of Fame.

Baseball's Big Six

1. Enos Slaughter(SLC) .389
2. Whitey Lockman(NYG) .371
3. Johnny Mize(NYG) .361
4. Larry Doby(Cle) .352
5. Yogi Berra(NYY) .347
6. Dom DiMaggio(Bos) .344

MLB Standings

[PhillieFever]

Tuesday June 8th, 1948

Yankees Surge Into 1st Place With 5th Straight Win

Yankee Stadium- A solo homer by Tommy Henrich followed later by a two run single by Snuffy Stirnweiss then a two run double by Charlie Keller gave the Yankees a 5-2 victory over the visiting Browns, stretching their win streak to five while moving them one full game ahead of the Cleveland Indians. Two very talented clubs, the Yankees and Indians will clash this weekend in a crucial 4 game set that's sure to be bitterly contested. In their 5 previous meetings this season, the Yankees have gone just 2-3, with both of their wins coming at The Stadium.

Pirates Regain Lead
Thanks to a doubleheader sweep of the Giants on Sunday by the scores of 6-5 and 2-1, the Pittsburgh Pirates are back in front in the National League, holding a one half game advantage on the Braves, and a one and a half game lead on Cincinnati.

Dodgers Welcome Robinson Back
After missing 5 weeks with a broken collarbone, Dodgers 2B Jackie Robinson will finally be back in the lineup today, when the Dodgers take on the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. With just one half game separating the clubs, the return of Robinson is a welcome addition for Brooklyn who have just begun to round into form.
In other injury news, Red Sox LF Ted Williams has begun to swing a bat and should be back in the lineup for Boston's series against the White Sox this weekend.

MLB Trades And Transactions

The Philadelphia Phillies have selected 24 year old relief pitcher Clyde King off of waivers from the Brooklyn Dodgers, paying Brooklyn the $10,000 waiver fee.

Waived by Brooklyn yesterday, 22 year old 2B Gene Mauch has been claimed by the Chicago Cubs.

The Washington Senators have traded 27 year old pitcher Marino Pieretti to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for 28 year old pitcher Earl Harrist

MLB Standings

[PhillieFever]

MLB Players Of The Week For Week Ending June 6th, 1948