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

[darnoff]

AL Mid-Season Report

This season, the American League pennant race was highly competitive early on. Several teams controlled first place at one point or another. However, over the past month, the Oakland A's have begun to live up to their promise and have pulled out to a nine game lead. The team went 18-10 in June. Their offense has carried them. The top five batters in the lineup each already have double-digit home runs. Rookie catcher Mickey Cochrane (.343, 18 HR, 52 RBI) has been superb all season, while fellow rookie Jimmy Foxx (.288, 20 HR, 52 RBI) started off slowly but has heated up with a 1.017 OPS in May followed by a .966 OPS in June. Now, Foxx's 11 errors at third base have contributed to a team ranking of just 6th defensively. That is part of the reason that the team ranks just 4th in runs allowed. However, sophomore Sam Gray (11-2, 2.95 ERA) and rookie Lefty Grove (10-3, 3.07 ERA) have been outstanding.

At this point, I am not sure that any team really poses a serious threat to the A's. The Twins have the best shot with a 3rd ranked offense and a pitching staff that ranks last in the AL but should be much better. If the pitching improves significantly in the second half - which it should - then the Twins have a shot. New York ranks 2nd in offense, but their 6th ranked pitching staff really is as bad as they look, so I don't expect too much improvement from them.

The Orioles were in first place for a brief time in May, but their offense has slipped lately to a 6th place ranking. Their pitching staff was exceptional early on, but it is currently ranked 3rd. Detroit is another interesting team to watch. Their pitching staff has outperformed expectations and is ranked 1st in the AL. That would normally mean that the Tigers would be in first place with their offense, but that offense is just 5th in runs scored and next to last in homers. I expect that to improve, so perhaps they can make a late run if they turn things around very soon.

Defending AL champion Cleveland has just fallen apart since the success of the past two seasons. They are 4th in runs scored but 5th in runs allowed and in defense. Their starting rotation has the 2nd worst ERA in the league at 4.17. The offense is also getting on base at the 2nd worst clip in the AL (.314).


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

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NL Season Wrap-up

The NL pennant race went right down to the wire, and surprisingly, the two-time defending world champion Giants were not really a factor. The team's offense was not as dominant as in years past, but they still ranked second in the NL with 741 runs scored. Their problem was pitching and defense. The team ranked dead last in defense and just 5th in pitching. The Giants hung around near the top of the standings but never really climbed out of fourth place.

Instead, it was the Cardinals, Cubs and Pirates who battled until the bitter end. These three teams battled for dominance throughout the season. By the beginning of September, the Cardinals held on to the narrowest of leads over the other two clubs. St. Louis began to expand their lead by going 8-3 to start the month. But from September 14-20, St. Louis lost 2-of-3 games to the Dodgers and then lost 3-of-4 to the Cubs. That meant that with two weeks left, they were tied for second place with the Pirates, 1 1/2 games behind Chicago. Now they had to travel to Pittsburgh to face a tough Pirates team that had won 7 of their last 8 games.

St. Louis lost their first two games in Pittsburgh, but they salvaged the series by winning the final two games. At the same time, Chicago swept a 3-game series at home against the Reds. Now both St. Louis and Pittsburgh remained tied but were three games back of the Cubs. Pittsburgh now had to travel to Chicago to face the Cubs for three games. The teams split the first two games. Then aces Dazzy Vance (19-5, 2.42 ERA) and Ed Morris (16-8, 2.99 ERA) locked horns for the final game. Morris allowed just 1 run over 7 innings, but Vance allowed just 1 run over 8 innings and earned the win when Cubs reliever Sweetbread Bailey (5-3, 2.04 ERA in 57.1 IP) coughed up 4 runs in the 9th. Meanwhile, the Cardinals took their turn at sweeping Cincinnati in a 3-game set.

Now with one week left in the season, the Cubs led St. Louis by a single game and Pittsburgh by two. Chicago had a tough assignment and lost 2-of-3 to at home to the Giants. In St. Louis, the Cardinals won their first two games against the Phillies to take a half game lead. Then with the Cubs off on 10/1, St. Louis lost 8-4 to Philadelphia to drop into a tie with three games left. Pittsburgh won 2-of-3 in Los Angeles and were just one game back.

For the final three days of the season, nothing could have been more exciting than seeing the top two teams tied and squaring off as the Cards hosted the Cubs. That meant that one of those two teams would definitely not win the pennant. However, it was possible that if one team won just two of the three games and Pittsburgh swept three games in Cincinnati that the Pirates could end up in a tie for first! However, on the first of these final three days, Pittsburgh eliminated themselves from the equation when Reds slugger Ken Williams (.280, 49 HR, 123 RBI) hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th off setup reliever Sheriff Blake (8-3, 3.44 ERA in 107.1 IP) to give the Reds a 4-3 lead. Reds closer John Gillespie (8-5, 11 Sv, 3.50 ERA) closed the door in the 9th and Pittsburgh's pennant hopes were over.

Back in Chicago, the Cards and Bob Steele (13-7, 4.28 ERA) defeated the Cubs 6-2 in front of a sell-out crowd for a critical first win. On the next day, both teams' aces faced off with Jakie May (16-7, 3.86 ERA) taking on Ed Morris. It was a heckuva duel, but Morris allowed two runs in a sloppy 4th inning. He would pitch 8 innings and allow no other runs. Jakie May pitched just 5 1/3 innings, but allowed no runs. Then with a 2-0 lead, St. Louis brought in reliever Clyde Day (5-3, 2.30 ERA in 101.2 IP), who is known for his whooping pig calls when pitching (that's not fiction, folks). He closed out the 6th inning and pitched two more perfect innings of relief. Then Cardinals closer Hi Bell (7-4, 1.52 ERA) knotched his 41st save in which he threw just 9 pitches, securing the win and the pennant for St. Louis. This was the first pennant for the Cardinals since 1908.


Some interesting facts on the season:

Cardinals setup reliever Eddie Dyer (1.87 ERA in 120.1 IP) won an amazing 16 games to just four losses as a reliever!!

37-year-old Cubs outfielder Cy Williams (.222, 51 HR, 106 RBI) became the first man to hit 800 home runs. He recorded the historic shot on 9/11 in the 8th inning of a 6-2 win in Los Angeles off Dodgers rookie reliever Guy Cantrell (5-2, 3.09 ERA in 122.1 IP).

Braves rookie starting pitcher Foster Edwards (13-6, 2.41 ERA) actually set a new MLHR record by limiting opposing batters to just a 0.262 slugging percentage! The previous record of 0.267 was set in 1903 by Cleveland's Earl Moore in a watered down American League. The previous NL record of 0.271 was set by Hall of Famer Al Spalding of the Cubs in the inaugural MLHR season of 1876!

Pittsburgh centerfielder Max Carey (.260, 28 HR, 85 RBI, 116 R) fell off his early season pace, but managed to tie the single-season stolen base record with 102 bags. The record had been set in 1903 by Hall of Famer John McGraw.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




National League Rosters

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AL Season Wrap-up

The AL pennant race in September looked pretty much how the standings looked at the mid-season mark at the end of June. By the season's final month, this was clearly a three-team race with Oakland leading the Twins and Yankees. New York climbed to within four games of the A's in early September, but the Yanks won just 4 of 13 games between September 8-22. The Twins were tightening the race in July but fell off in August. Then, they swept the A's in a 3-game set in Oakland on the last three days of August. The Twins went 13-8 over the first 3+ weeks of September, but that was not enough to close the ground between them and the A's. Oakland went 18-5 over the same time frame and on 9/24, Minnesota lost 4-3 to Baltimore while Oakland's 39-year-old Frank Baker (.299, 10 HR, 35 RBI in 157 AB), who had come on in the bottom of the 7th as a pinch hitter, hit a 2-run home run with one out in the bottom of the 12th off White Sox reliever Leo Mangum (7-11, 5.46 ERA in 94 IP) to win the game 5-3 and clinch the pennant. As a side note, it was exciting to see both Baker and his third base pupil Jimmie Foxx (.284, 46 HR, 103 RBI) homer in the same game.


Fun facts:

Babe Ruth (.281, 62 HR, 134 RBI) became the third player - and by far the youngest, at age 30 - to reach 700 HR.

22-year-old Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig (.304, 68 HR, 162 RBI) came within a single home run of tying Babe Ruth's record of 69 homers in a season. Gehrig also drove in 162 RBI, which is the second highest total of all-time but still 10 RBI away from the record of 172 set by Joe Jackson of the A's in 1909.

Walter Johnson (11-14, 4.50 ERA) had the worst season of his career at age 37, and despite winning his last three starts, wound up 1 win shy of 300. The question now is, will he return for another season at age 38?

Despite starting just 17 games, Oakland's Frank Baker become the all time RBI leader this season. He now has 2,206 RBI. That surpassed the previous mark of 2,184 which was set by Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty, who retired after the 1907 season. Baker's teammate, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (.271, 20 HR, 89 RBI), is 38 years old and currently 4th on the list with 2,062. Detroit's Ty Cobb (.278, 14 HR, 57 RBI, 88 R, 74 SB) turns 39 in December and is close to 2,000 with 1,984 career RBI.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




American League Rosters

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1925 World Series

Game 1

The Athletics jumped on Cardinals starting pitcher Bill Sherdel for a run in the 2nd inning and then added four more runs in the 3rd, thanks primarily to a 2-run home run by shortstop Jimmy Dykes. Dykes had an amazing game, going 3-for-3 with 2 walks. He reached base all five times he came to the plate, and he scored all five times too. He even hit a second home run and drove in a total of four RBI. Meanwhile, A's starter Lefty Grove dominated the Cardinals offense. He pitched eight innings, allowing just three runs - all of which came in the 5th inning. In fact, Grove had a no-hitter going until that inning when Chick Hafey hit a solo homer. Grove also struck out 12 batters. And you want to hear about finishing strong? Grove struck out the final three batters he faced while tossing 127 pitches.




Game 2

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Rogers Hornsby homered off Oakland starter Slim Harriss. The A's countered with a run in the top of the 2nd when Jimmy Dykes hit his 3rd home runs of the series - this one off rookie phenom Bill Hallahan. In the 5th, the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead, but again Oakland countered. This time they got a 2-run homer from Jimmie Foxx. They added another run for a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the same inning, St. Louis scored a run to make it 4-3. Then in the top of the 8th, Foxx hit a solo home run off reliever Oscar Tuero. Later in the inning, setup reliever Eddie Dyer loaded the bases and pinch hitter Frank Baker hit a 2-out, 2-run single as the A's went on to win 7-3.




Game 3

The Cardinals again struck first with a run in the 2nd inning off Sam Gray, but yet again the A's answered back - this time with a 4-run inning off St. Louis ace Jakie May that included a solo home run from Joe Hauser and a 3-run bomb from Joe Jackson. Gray took it from there as he tossed seven innings and did not allow another run.




Game 4

Yet again St. Louis scored a run in the 2nd inning only to have Oakland come right back. This time the A's scored two runs in the 2nd inning off Flint Rhem and added two more in the 3rd. However, the Cardinals made it a game when John Kelleher hit a 2-run single in the 6th inning of Oakland starter Tom Zachary, making it a 4-3 game. As we have seen throughout the series, Oakland came right back and scored a run, this time when Zachary himself roped a single into right field that scored Frank Welch from second base. It was fortunate that the A's scored that run, because in the top of the 8th Les Bell hit a double with runners on 1st and 2nd and one out. One run scored to make it 5-4 but the second runner, Chick Hafey, was gunned down at home. A's closer Roy Moore came on in the 9th and walked the first batter he faced. After two outs, Taylor Douthit drove a single to left field. St. Louis then brought in speedy outfielder Jack Smith to pinch run at second base, but it mattered little as Moore got Rogers Hornsby to ground out to defensive replacement Frank Baker at third base to end the game and the series.




Recap

The A's really dominated this entire series. Whenever the Cardinals scored a run, Oakland countered with several runs. The Cardinals pitching staff could not limit the damage from Oakland's strong offense, whereas the Athletics pitchers did manage to limit the damage from a strong Cardinals offense.

Series MVP

Jimmy Dykes, OAK, SS: .500 AVG, 1.250 SLG, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 9 R

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1925 Season Awards


NL Batter of the Year




NL Pitcher of the Year




NL Rookie of the Year




NL Fireman Award




NL Gold Gloves
P - Whitey Glazner, PIT
C - Earl Smith, SFG
1B - Lew Fonseca, CIN (3rd consecutive)
2B - Hughie Critz, CIN
3B - Pie Traynor, PIT
SS - Travis Jackson, SFG (3rd overall)
LF - Chick Hafey, STL
CF - Max Carey, PIT (5th overall)
RF - Kiki Cuyler, PIT (2nd overall)


AL Batter of the Year




AL Pitcher and Rookie of the Year




AL Fireman Award




AL Gold Gloves
P - Paul Zahniser, MIN
C - Benny Benhough, NYY
1B - Frank Brower, MIN (2nd overall)
2B - Marty McManus, BAL
3B - Willie Kamm, CHW (2nd consecutive)
SS - Homer Ezzell, BAL
LF - Heinie Manush, DET
CF - Johnny Mostil, CHW (3rd consecutive)
RF - Babe Ruth, BOS (3rd overall)

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1926 National League Rookies


Joe Cronin, SS, Age 19, Pirates

The Pirates made two major improvements to their lineup with the addition of MLB Hall of Famers Joe Cronin and Paul Waner. Waner will bat leadoff this season. He should hit for a high average and generate a high OBP, and he will hit his share of doubles. Unfortunately, he does not have much speed or home run power to speak of. He plays solid, but unspectacular defense. Cronin is a more well rounded hitter. He will hit for a lower average but his OBP may be similar to Waner's due to his ability to draw walks. Cronin also has double and home run power. Like Waner though, he has below average speed yet he plays above average defense.




Paul Waner, RF, Age 22, Pirates




Bunny Hearn, MR, Age 21, Braves

Hearn will have some control issues, but for the most part he has the talent to be an exceptional reliever. He will be the setup man to one of the best closers in MLHR in Garland Braxton (2-4, 33 Sv, 1.56 ERA). Braxton is just 25 years old, so these two should be shutting down opposing defenses together for many years to come. Now, if Atlanta can just get a lead into the 7th or 8th inning.




Babe Herman, RF, Age 22, Dodgers

Herman is a talented batter who joins an aging lineup in need of a tune up. Veterans like 32-year-old Hack Miller (.281, 24 HR, 77 RBI) and 37-year-old Zack Wheat (.247, 36 HR, 93 RBI) have lost a step in recent years, not to mention the fact that their defensive range has gotten pretty poor. For the sake of injecting some extra offense into the lineup, Herman will play first base this season. However, you can expect him to eventually move to the outfield, perhaps when Wheat retires, unless the team lands a young outfielder who is better defensively than Herman.




Mel Ott, RF, Age 16, Giants

Yeah, the Giants' roster is pretty unbelievable. Almost their entire bench would be starters on any other team. Now enter Ott, another MLB Hall of Famer, this one with over 500 MLB home runs on his resume. However, due to the makeup of this team, Ott will be forced into duty at third base. That will hurt an already weak defense initially, but it should pay off in the long run. And yes, he really is 16... although he turns 17 before the season starts. Imagine the numbers he will put up over a long career!




Denny Sothern, CF, Age 21, Phillies

The Phillies were in desperate need of more offense, but also some improved outfield defense. In steps Sothern, who fits both requirements. He will bat 2nd for the Phils and should steal 20+ bases. He will also provide excellent outfield defense.




Johnny Welch, SP, Age 19, Cubs

The Cubs have developed what has become perhaps the best pitching staff in the NL. They are good enough that a talented young pitcher like Welch begins his career in the bullpen. He has the makeup to be very successful there, although Chicago already had a great bullpen that led the NL with a 2.27 ERA last season.




Johnny Wertz, SP, Age 24, Braves

Wertz does not have overpowering stuff, but he has good control and he keeps the ball in the park. He will help improve an Atlanta pitching rotation that used to be a strength but struggled last season.

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1926 American League Rookies


Tony Lazzeri, 2B, Age 22, Yankees

Lazzeri is a powerful presence who makes the dangerous Yankees lineup that much deeper. He should be a .270-.280 hitter with 25-35 home runs per year. Any team would love to have him in their lineup, but for the mighty Yankees, he bats 6th! Lazzeri also has some speed and should steal 15+ bags. However, he plays below average defense, which hurts because the Yankees already played poor defense and their pitching staff needs all the help it can get.




Danny MacFayden, SP, Age 20, Red Sox

The ratings don't look exciting, but MacFayden should be a solid #4 or #5 starter for Boston. He has above average control and does a great job at limiting home runs. He will give up a few hits, but he knows how to limit the damage.

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1926 Key Retirees - Batters


Frank "Home Run" Baker, 3B, Athletics

Baker was known for his offensive prowess, but let's not forget that he was one of the best defensive third basemen of his day. After all, he won five Gold Gloves. Baker retired with 694 home runs and 2206 RBI in his career. He also recorded 2,963 hits, a .278 career average and 149 OPS+. Amazingly, he never won a BOY Award because he played in a golden age of American League ball with the likes of Cobb, Speaker, Ruth and Heilmann. Baker led the AL in RBI four times. Oh, and let's not forget that he won four World Series!




Ray Chapman, 3B/SS, Indians

Won three Gold Gloves - twice at third base and once at shortstop. He also finished in the Top 10 in triples eight times, stolen bases ten times, runs three times and walks three times, but also in strikeouts eleven times.




Harry Hooper, RF, Red Sox

Won one Gold Glove. Won three World Series. Finished in the Top 10 in triples seven times, runs three times, walks ten times, OBP four times, VORP three times and WAR three times. He also led the AL with 94 walks in 1912.




Jimmy Johnston, 2B, White Sox

Won one Gold Glove and three World Series. Finished in the Top 10 in hits four times.




Casey Stengel, RF, Dodgers

Stengel could have gotten more playing time if he were on another team, but the Dodgers happened to have two very good corner outfielders in Zack Wheat and Hack Miller. It didn't help that Stengel only played RF. Regardless, Stengel had some good years early on, especially 1913 when he posted a 151 OPS+. He won a Gold Glove and led the NL in triples in 1914. He also finished in the Top 10 in OBP three times, SLG four times and OPS four times.




Buck Weaver, SS, White Sox

Weaver won four Gold Glove awards and three World Series. It is rare to see a double play combination retire in the same year, but that is what happened when Weaver and Johnston retired after working together full-time from 1912-22 and part-time after that.




Gus Williams, LF/RF, Orioles

Gus led the AL in strikeouts three times, but he was also a dependable bat in Baltimore for several years. He had speed which he used to lead the AL in triples in 1918 and to finish in the Top 10 in stolen bases seven times. In fact, in 1923 he stole 25 bases with just 197 plate appearances! I'm sure he was also a pinch runner that season, but that is still a success.

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1926 Key Retirees - Pitchers


Hugh Bedient, Red Sox

Finished in the Top 10 in holds four times.




Rube Benton, Reds

Finished 2nd in the Fireman Award twice. Finished in the Top 10 in wins twice as a starter and in saves five times as a closer. He led the NL in saves in 1918.




Bernie Boland, Tigers

Finished in the Top 10 in wins three times. He led the AL in winning percentage as a starter in 1920 and also in saves in 1922.




Rube Foster, Red Sox

Won the 1917 AL Pitcher of the Year Award. He also led the AL in quality starts in 1919 and innings in 1922. He finished in the Top 10 in HR/9 seven times, H/9 four times, complete games five times, VORP three times and WAR four times.




Claude Hendrix, Pirates

Hendrix was the 1911 Rookie and Pitcher of the Year. He won another POY Award in 1913. He led the NL in winning percentage twice, ERA twice, fewest HR/9 and H/9 once each, VORP twice and shutouts twice. As a reliever, Hendrix led the NL in holds in 1921. He finished in the Top 10 in wins six times, innings seven times, strikeouts five times, WHIP six times, K/BB seven times, H/9 five times, K/9 four times, quality starts five times, complete games six times and WAR five times.




Bill James, Braves

James finished second in the ROY voting in 1913. He finished in the Top 10 in wins three times, walks four times, strikeouts six times, ERA three times, WHIP three times, K/9 six times, VORP three times and complete games three times. He also led the NL in quality starts in 1917 and shutouts in 1921.




Limb McKenry, Reds

McKenry finished 2nd or 3rd in the Fireman Award voting three consecutive seasons from 1919-21... the only three seasons he was a closer!




Willie Mitchell, Indians

Finished in the Top 10 in strikeouts four times, WHIP three times, HR/9 four times, H/9 four times, K/9 seven times, quality starts five times and WAR three times, but also losses six times. He led the AL in most home runs allowed in 1910, but also fewest HR/9 in 1913... odd.




Hank Robinson, Pirates

As a starter, he finished in the Top 10 in wins three times, WHIP four times, K/BB six times, HR/9 three times, BB/9 seven times and VORP three times. He also led the NL in losses once, BB/9 once and WAR once.




Charlie Schmutz, Dodgers

He finished third all-time with 857 games pitched.




Bob Shawkey, Athletics

He finished in the Top 10 in winning percentage four times, strikeouts nine times, K/BB three times, H/9 six times, K/9 eleven times and quality starts four times.




Jeff Tesreau, Giants

Finished 3rd in POY voting in 1913 and 2nd in 1915. He led the NL in wins once, winning percentage twice, strikeouts twice, WHIP once, K/9 twice and shutouts three times. He finished in the Top 10 in wins eleven times, innings six times, strikeouts eleven times, ERA three times, WHIP five times, K/BB three times, H/9 six times, K/9 eleven times, VORP three times, quality starts seven times, complete games six times and WAR six times.




Fred Toney, Cubs

Toney won two Pitcher of the Year Awards and was the ace of Chicago's staff for several pennant runs. He pitched in three World Series but the Cubs won none of them. In 1912 he led the NL in wins, winning percentage and quality starts. In 1914 he led the NL in winning percentage, WHIP, RA/9, VORP and shutouts. In 1915, he led the NL in HR/9 and WAR. Later as a reliever, he led the NL in saves in 1922 and then in holds in 1924.




Hippo Vaughn, Yankees

Vaughn was the ace of New York's staff for much of his career. Early on he played on some poor Yankees teams, while later in his career he played for teams with poor defense. He likely would've had a better win/loss percentage and a better ERA had he played for better teams. Regardless, he retired with 224 wins, 235 losses and over 4,000 innings pitched. He finished in the Top 10 in wins five times, innings ten times, strikeouts fifteen times, ERA eight times, WHIP five times, HR/9 five times, H/9 ten times, K/9 fifteen times, VORP seven times quality starts eight times, complete games fourteen times and WAR nine times. He also led the AL in strikeouts once, ERA once, HR/9 once, H/9 once, K/9 once, VORP once, quality starts twice, complete games twice and shutouts three times.

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1926 Hall of Fame Induction


Chief Bender, SP, Athletics

328-195, 62.7 Win%, 714 G, 683 GS, 4921 IP, 78 CG, 24 SHO, 828 BB, 1.5 BB/9, 4350 K, 8.0 K/9, 4477 HA, 512 HRA, 3.19 ERA, 120 ERA+, 1.08 WHIP

9 Pennants
4-5 in World Series

All-time leaderboards Top 20: Wins (1st), Games started (1st), Innings (1st), WHIP (1st among starters), K/BB (1st among starters), VORP (2nd), WAR (2nd), Strikeouts (3rd), ERA (5th among starters), BB/9 (5th among starters), Win% (6th among starters)


Eddie Collins, 2B, Athletics

3700 H, 581 doubles, 89 triples, 244 HR, 2195 R, 1255 RBI, 1713 BB, 1450 K, 1182 SB, .312 AVG, .400 OBP, .438 SLG, .839 OPS, 142 OPS+, 11849 AB, 2971 G

1906 Rookie of the Year
6 Gold Gloves
8 Pennants
4-4 in World Series

All-time leaderboards Top 20: AVG (3rd), OBP (3rd), Runs (3rd), Stolen bases (3rd), WAR (3rd), Hits (4th), VORP (4th), Walks (4th), Triples (10th), OPS (13th), Doubles (14th)

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1926 NL Preseason Predictions

The Giants were disappointed with their 4th place finish last season. This team has the talent to be a dynasty, and they won back-to-back World Series in 1923 and 1924. In 1925, their win total dropped from 112 to 96. That's still a great season, but they finished five games behind the surprising Cardinals. With the addition of slugger Mel Ott, the Giants lineup should be nearly unstoppable. The fall to 4th place last season may have been a wakeup call for the Giants in terms of their lack of defensive range. It is a big part of the reason why they fell to 5th in runs allowed. In fact, they allowed 101 more runs than Chicago.

This season, the Giants have decided to bench former batting champ Ike Boone (.281, 14 HR, 59 RBI). This move allows slugger Hack Wilson (.265, 57 HR, 112 RBI) to move from center field, where he struggled with a -13.4 zone rating, to his more natural left field where he is likely to thrive. That opens the door for the Giants to give the centerfield job to one of their defensively talented bench players. They have three such outfielders to choose from, but the job will go to Jigger Statz (.308 in just 39 AB) because he has by far the most defensive range and he has had the most success at the plate in a limited role the past two years.

The defending NL champion Cardinals plan to defend their title, but it will be a difficult challenge because both San Francisco and Pittsburgh have made some improvements, while the Cardinals made none. But why mess with a good thing, right? Not exactly when you consider the caliber of teams chasing St. Louis. Last season, setup reliever Eddie Dyer tossed 120.1 innings and won an amazing 16 games with an impressive 1.87 ERA. That was enough to convince team management that he should get a shot in the rotation. He will begin as the team's 5th starter while Bob Steele (13-7, 4.28 ERA) moves to the bullpen. In another effort to help their pitching staff prevent runs, St. Louis will move Les Bell (.259, 14 HR, 59 RBI) from shortstop to his preferred position at third base. He replaces John Kelleher (.258, 12 HR, 46 RBI), who struggled at the plate and was below average in the field last year. Moving to shortstop will be utility man Howard Freigau (.237 in 177 AB). Freigau should be an upgrade defensively at shortstop over Bell, while Bell will be an upgrade at third base over Kelleher.

The Pirates made two big upgrades to their offense with the addition of rookies Joe Cronin (7-8-6-7-5 ratings), who will play shortstop and bat 3rd, and Paul Waner (9-8-3-6-9 ratings), who plays right field and bats leadoff. Pittsburgh's offense was already ranked 3rd behind St. Louis and San Francisco last season, so we should see some improvement. I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that Pittsburgh also led all of MLHR with 206 stolen bases last year too.

Meanwhile, the Cubs had far and above the top pitching staff in baseball last season. They return the same unit with one exception - rookie Johnny Welch (8-7-5 ratings) begins his career in a middle relief role. Their only concern is scoring enough runs with an offense that is in flux. New Home Run king Cy Williams (.222, 51 HR, 106 RBI) returns to right field at age 38, but he will rest a little more often than he is accustomed to now that the team has another slugger with much younger legs in 25-year-old Mandy Brooks (.232, 15 HR, 37 RBI in 224 AB).


Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)

Rank	Team	Rotation	Bullpen	Offense	Bench	Speed	Defense	Totals	Grade	Predicted Wins
1	San Francisco Giants	8	8	12	12	8	8	9.7	A+	122	40
2	St. Louis Cardinals	7	7	10	6	6	8	8.0	A-	100	62
3	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	7	7	8	10	7	7.7	B+	96	66
4	Chicago Cubs	8	9	6	10	8	7	7.5	B	94	68
5	Philadelphia Phillies	7	5	2	1	7	10	5.1	D+	63	99
6	Cincinnati Reds	7	6	2	2	7	7	4.9	D	62	100
7	Atlanta Braves	8	9	1	5	5	6	4.8	D	61	101
8	Los Angeles Dodgers	5	6	2	3	5	4	4.0	D-	50	112

MLB results for the NL in 1926

Champs: St. Louis Cardinals, (89-65, .578)
World Series: Cardinals defeated Yankees 4-3

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

Combined WAR: Paul Waner, Pirates, 5.3 (rookie!)
Offensive WAR: Les Bell, Cardinals, 5.4
Defensive WAR: Tommy Thevenow, Cardinals, 3.9
Batting Title: Bubbles Hargrave, Reds, .353
On-Base%: Cuckoo Christensen, Reds, .426 (rookie!)
Slugging%: Cy Williams, Phillies (Cubs), .568
Runs: Kiki Cuyler, Pirates, 113
RBI: Jim Bottomley, Cardinals, 120
SB: Kiki Cuyler, Pirates, 35
OPS+: Cy Williams, Phillies (Cubs), 155
AB/HR: Cy Williams, Phillies (Cubs), 18.7

Pitching WAR: Hal Carlson, Phillies (Pirates), 8.3
Win%: Ray Kremer, Pirates, .769
WHIP: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Cubs and Cardinals (Phillies), 1.108
K/9: Dazzy Vance, Dodgers (Pirates), 7.456
Innings: Pete Donohue, Reds, 285.2
K/BB: Dazzy Vance, Dodgers (Pirates), 2.414
ERA+: Ray Kremer, Pirates, 150
FIP: Dazzy Vance, Dodgers (Pirates), 2.84


MLHR Milestone Watch

600 Home Runs
Rogers Hornsby, STL, Age 29, 567 HR

1000 Walks
Zack Wheat, LAD, Age 37, 975 BB
Max Carey, PIT, Age 36, 953 BB
Rogers Hornsby, STL, Age 29, 931 BB

866 Games Pitched (This will be a new all-time record!)
Ben Tincup, PHI, Age 32, 816 G

800 Games Pitched
Johnny Enzmann, LAD, Age 36, 754 G

200 Wins
Dazzy Vance, PIT, Age 35, 189 W
Dixie Davis, CIN, Age 35, 187 W

300 Saves
Rosy Ryan, SFG, Age 28, 278 Sv

[darnoff]

1926 AL Preseason Predictions

The Athletics are coming off a dominant World Series victory and they will field nearly the same team in 1926 that they did last year. Lefty Grove (19-6, 2.51 ERA) heads up a much-improved pitching rotation which may actually be one of the best in the AL now. Their bullpen is still a potential issue though, and their defense is a big concern. Their lineup is as good - perhaps better - than New York's and far better than most other AL teams.

The Yankees scored more runs than anyone in the AL last season, and they should continue to excel in that department. They added slugging second baseman Tony Lazzeri (7-7-7-7-3 ratings), who will hit plenty of home runs but will also strike out a lot. As we have come to expect though, their pitching rotation is probably the worst in the AL, although their bullpen is pretty solid. Their defense is below average too, so they will need to score plenty of runs again this year if they hope to win their first pennant.

The A's and Yankees have the best shot at winning the pennant this year, but several other teams hope to be players in that race. The Tigers' offense has declined recently and 39-year-old Ty Cobb (.278, 14 HR, 57 RBI, 88 R, 74 SB) will not be playing every day due to his much-decreased outfield range. With that change, the Tigers may have one of the best defenses in the AL and their pitching has improved, so they may make a run. The Twins are solid all around, but they and the Tigers may not have enough offense to keep up with Oakland and New York.

The rest of the AL will be fun to watch. Cleveland has a superb starting rotation, Baltimore has an excellent bullpen and Chicago pitches well and plays great defense but none of those teams have enough offense. Boston may even make some noise, but they are below average in most areas and will likely finish last in a tough AL race.


Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)

Rank	Team	Rotation	Bullpen	Offense	Bench	Speed	Defense	Totals	Grade	Predicted Record
1	Oakland Athletics	9	6	12	8	6	4	8.3	A-	102	60
2	New York Yankees	6	8	10	10	8	6	8.0	B+	98	64
3	Detroit Tigers	7	5	5	9	7	9	6.6	B-	81	81
4	Minnesota Twins	7	7	5	9	8	6	6.5	B-	80	82
5	Cleveland Indians	9	8	3	5	6	7	6.1	C	75	87
6	Chicago White Sox	7	7	1	8	8	11	6.0	C	73	89
7	Baltimore Orioles	7	10	2	4	9	7	5.9	C	72	90
8	Boston Red Sox	7	6	5	2	6	6	5.4	C-	66	96

MLB results for the AL in 1926

Champs: New York Yankees, (91-63, .591)
World Series: Cardinals defeated Yankees 4-3

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

Combined WAR: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 11.5
Offensive WAR: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 11.0
Defensive WAR: Willie Kamm, White Sox, 1.9
Batting Title: Heinie Manush, Tigers, .378
On-Base%: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), .516
Slugging%: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), .737
Runs: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 139
RBI: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 153
SB: Johnny Mostil, White Sox, 35
OPS+: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 225
AB/HR: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 10.5

Pitching WAR: George Uhle, Indians, 8.4
Win%: George Uhle, Indians, .711
WHIP: Herb Pennock, Yankees (Athletics), 1.265
K/9: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 6.767
Innings: George Uhle, Indians, 318.1
K/BB: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 1.921
ERA+: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 165
FIP: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 2.96


MLHR Milestone Watch

3883 Hits (This will move him past the former record into 2nd all-time behind only Ty Cobb)
Joe Jackson, OAK, Age 38, 3752 H

600 Home Runs
Jack Fournier, CHW, Age 37, 596 HR

2000 RBI
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 39, 1984 RBI

1500 RBI
Irish Meusel, MIN, Age 32, 1463 RBI

2500 Runs (He will be the first player to ever reach this mark!)
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 39, 2425 R

1500 Runs
Babe Ruth, BOS, Age 31, 1426 R

1000 Walks
Johnny Bassler, CLE, Age 30, 970 BB
Harry Heilmann, DET, Age 31, 951 BB

1310 Stolen Bases (This will set a new all-time record!)
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 39, 1297 SB

800 Games Pitched
Red Hoff, NYY, Age 34, 785 G
Mellie Wolfgang, CHW, Age 36, 771 G

300 Wins
Walter Johnson, MIN, Age 38, 299 W
Joe Wood, BOS, Age 36, 183 W

200 Wins
Reb Russell, CHW, Age 37, 193 W

464 Saves (This will be a new all-time record!)
Red Hoff, NYY, Age 34, 447 Sv

3000 Innings Pitched
Lefty Williams, DET, Age 33, 2934.1 IP
Reb Russell, CHW, Age 37, 2933.1 IP

4500 Strikeouts (Both pitchers should also break the all-time mark of 4418!)
Joe Wood, BOS, Age 36, 4378 K
Walter Johnson, MIN, Age 38, 4337 K

[darnoff]

NL Mid-Season Report

The Giants started off slowly in April, but came on strong by the end of that month. For the next two months they battled the Cardinals for supremacy. Currently, the Giants hold a half-game lead over the defending NL champion Cardinals. The San Francisco offense is ranked 1st in the NL, which is no surprise. The shock comes when you realize that the Giants have scored 69 more runs in three months than the Cardinals, who have the 2nd best offense! The Giants are batting a robust .279 as a team and have already hit 110 home runs. Their big concern is the pitching staff which has given up the second most runs in the NL so far. The bullpen has been ok, but their starting rotation has struggled. It also does not help that the team's defense is ranked dead last in the league.

According to Baseball Prospectus, Defensive Efficiency "is the rate at which balls put into play are converted into outs by a team's defense." This factors out things like home runs and strikeouts and you get a feel for a team's defensive range and error percentage. The top defense in the NL this season has been the Cubs with an impressive 0.719 DEF EFF rating. This explains part of why their pitching staff is so successful. By contrast, the 2nd worst defense in the NL is Atlanta with a 0.676 rating. The NL average is 0.688. Where does the Giants' last ranked defense stack up? They have an abysmal 0.664 rating. This undoubtedly explains some of the Giants' pitching problems. Their pitching staff has allowed the 2nd fewest walks in the NL, but when a ball is put in play, opponents have an impressive .274 batting average compared to the league average of .255.

I can't entirely figure out why the Giants' defense has struggled so much this year because on paper, their defense looks pretty solid. However, the Cardinals don't have that problem. They are 2nd in the NL with a 0.704 defensive efficiency rating. Their pitching staff has allowed the 2nd fewest runs in the NL and their offense ranks 2nd too. Sophomore Bill Hallahan (11-3, 1.73 ERA) has been excellent as their new #1 starter. Left fielder Chick Hafey (.328, 23 HR, 65 RBI) had a hot first half last year but cooled off somewhat in the second half. Well, he is hot again this year and led the NL in batting average and OPS at the end of April. Currently, teammate Rogers Hornsby (.310, 26 HR, 60 RBI) leads the NL in OPS.

The Cubs are currently 5 1/2 games off the lead, but as I mentioned before, their pitching staff has been excellent. Ed Morris (9-4, 2.16 ERA) and Tiny Osborne (9-2, 2.12 ERA) lead the way. Offensively, they have had some issues. Their .237 team batting average is the worst in the NL, which is saying a lot when you consider how inept some of the offenses are in the NL. The Cubs have scored the 4th most runs though. If they can find a way to score more runs, they will be a deadly team.

Pittsburgh got off to an awful start this year and only recently have heated up. However, they have the 3rd best offense and 4th best pitching staff, so perhaps they can narrow the lead that San Francisco and St. Louis have over them. Their biggest issue has been a 6th ranked defense and a bullpen that is ranked last in the NL with a 4.61 ERA.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

[darnoff]

AL Mid-Season Report

Oakland led the AL race for most of the season thus far. However, they went on a 4-9 stretch in mid-May. Then after winning six of their next seven games to finish the month, the A's went 10-17 in June. Now the defending World Champs find themselves tied with Detroit at 7 1/2 games out of first place. The Oakland offense is tops in the league. However, their pitching staff - which I proclaimed before the season to be one of the best in the AL - has been disappointing. They have allowed the second most runs in the AL. In fact, they have only scored 12 more runs than they have allowed this season. Much like San Francisco in the NL, the A's are hampered by a miserable defense. The difference, which explains why the Giants are in first place despite a lousy defense and Oakland is not, is that the Giants' offense scores far more runs.

Enter the Twins, who went 18-4 from May 27 through June 19 to jump out to a big 7-game lead. Their offense ranks 3rd in the AL with centerfielder Goose Goslin (.279, 21 HR, 55 RBI) leading the way as an early BOY candidate. On the pitching side, Firpo Marberry (10-3, 2.24 ERA) has been excellent in his second season as a starting pitcher. 38-year-old Walter Johnson (9-5, 2.57 ERA) has bounced back from an ugly 1925 season. He also recorded his 300th career win in his 2nd start of the season, a 1-0 defeat of the Red Sox and Carl Mays (9-4, 2.13 ERA) on April 12th.

Speaking of Boston, they have shocked the baseball world by fighting their way to a second place record halfway through the season. It is particularly amazing when you realize that their offense is ranked last in the AL, despite a BOY-caliber season from Babe Ruth (.310, 33 HR, 66 RBI). The Red Sox have been winning thanks to a superb defense and excellent pitching staff. Carl Mays may have been tagged with the loss in Walter Johnson's 300th win despite allowing just one run over 7.1 innings, but he has been excellent all year and he currently leads the AL in ERA. 21-year-old Red Ruffing (7-4, 2.42 ERA) has excelled too.

Detroit is tied with Oakland and a half-game behind Boston. Their offense is ranked 2nd and they have the best team batting average (.267) in the AL. Harry Heilmann (.291, 20 HR, 65 RBI) is the biggest standout, and he is also the only Tiger with double-digit home runs. On the pitching side, Detroit ranks 4th but their defense is ranked 7th. The big surprise has been the performance of rookie Sam Gibson (13-2, 2.18 ERA) who was named the AL pitcher of the month in both April and June in his first season! Without Gibson's stellar pitching, there is no doubt that the Tigers would be below .500 right now.

But what happened to the Yankees, you ask? Well, their pitching staff is last in the AL in ERA and runs allowed, despite improved defense. Among the starting rotation, only George Pipgras (7-7, 2.95 ERA) has an ERA below 4.00. In fact, three of their five starters have ERA's above 5.00! Meanwhile, their prolific offense has slumped to a 4th place ranking, and that cannot happen if New York hopes to have any shot at winning a pennant. Perhaps some day, they will sign some talented, young starting pitchers.

And by the way, how cool is it that "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (.349, 18 HR, 53 RBI), who just turned 39 in July, is leading the batting race? Pretty awesome if you ask me!


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

[darnoff]

NL Season Wrap-up

When September began, the Cardinals led the Giants by two games. The Cubs were 7 1/2 games back and the Pirates were behind by 12 games. Neither Chicago nor Pittsburgh really ever closed the gap on the top two teams during the final month. However, two weeks into September San Francisco closed the gap on St. Louis to just a half game. Four days later, the two teams faced off in a critical series in San Francisco. The home town Giants won the first two games by tight scores of 4-2 and 6-5. The Cardinals salvaged the final game of the series by a 5-2 score. By that time, the Giants now held a half-game lead.

Over the next 10 days, the Giants lost only one game, and it was a 2-1 squeaker in Pittsburgh. By the time those 10 days were over, the Giants had clinched the pennant. San Francisco lost their last three games, oddly enough to the Cardinals in St. Louis. The games were meaningless and San Fran took the time to rest some key players. The Giants wound up scoring an impressive 850 runs and led the league in home runs. They also finished with the second highest total of stolen bases in the NL. Their biggest concern when it comes to the World Series will be that last-ranked defense of theirs and a pitching staff that ranked just 5th.

The Cardinals clearly have a new ace in 24-year-old sophomore Bill Hallahan (22-5, 1.71 ERA). He set a new single season record with his incredible 1.71 ERA. In fact, he helped his team to the top ranking among all pitching staffs in the NL this season - something fans in St. Louis are not accustomed to. It also helps that they had the top rated defense in the league.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




National League Rosters

[darnoff]

AL Season Wrap-up

As the second half of the season got underway, Oakland's struggles continued. They went 7-18 in July and actually dropped to 7th place. Over the final three weeks of August, they got their act together by posting an amazing 17-2 record. By that time, the Twins' lead had shrunk to just 1 1/2 games with the surprising White Sox in second place. The A's climbed back to 3rd place just 3 1/2 games out. The 4th place Tigers were at .500 and 7 1/2 games behind.

A week and a half later, the A's had moved into first place by a half game after winning 3-of-4 games at home against the Twins. At that point Chicago was two games out and Detroit was four games out. After another week, the Twins jumped back into first after winning four consecutive days in Detroit. That series came just a day after the Tigers had swept the A's in Detroit. The race continued to be tight for the next two weeks. On October 1st, the Tigers opened a series in Minnesota. They scored 8 runs in the final two innings off the Twins' bullpen to come from behind for a 13-6 victory. That marked Minnesota's 5th straight loss and suddenly the Tigers were just a single game out of first with control of their own destiny. Oakland meanwhile lost to Baltimore 9-6 for their 5th loss in six games. They now sat two games out with two games left. The White Sox lost 3-0 to the Yankees and were eliminated from the race.

On October 2nd, Minnesota led Detroit 2-0. The Tigers scored a run in the top of the 7th and 8th innings to tie the score. As the momentum swung in Detroit's favor, the Twins stood tough and scraped together four hits and a walk in the bottom of the 8th to score four runs for a big 6-2 lead. As the two teams headed into the final inning, the Minnesota fans were roaring. But things got interesting after Detroit got two runners on base against reliever Harry Harper. With two outs in the inning, Tigers shortstop Fred Haney hit an RBI single, then Charlie Gehringer drew a walk to load the bases. That was enough for the Twins to finally go to closer By Speece. However, Detroit first baseman George Burns swung at the first pitch from Speece, a fastball, and lined it up the middle, scoring two runs.

Suddenly Detroit had narrowed the lead to 6-5. The stadium began to quiet down as you could almost feel the tension in the air. Speece then battled with pinch hitter Topper Rigney and after eight pitches, Rigney drew a walk to load the bases again. After Speece's first two pitches to third baseman Sammy Hale were balls, the Twins sent their pitching coach to the mound to settle down their 27-year-old closer. The meeting apparently worked as Speece located a fastball for strike one. The next pitch was a nasty slider that Hale sliced to right field for the final out of the game, clinching the pennant for Minnesota.

The Twins only won 86 games and the 7th place Red Sox were just 9 games out of first place which says a lot about the parity in the American League this season. The Twins ranked 4th in pitching, 5th in offense and 6th in defense - not what you normally expect from a pennant winner. However, they were 2nd in the AL in bullpen ERA.

Detroit finished 3rd in offense and 5th in pitching while rookie Sam Gibson (21-10, 3.03 ERA) paced the junior circuit in wins. Oakland had the top offense, despite the fact that Jimmie Foxx (.261, 48 HR, 130 RBI) set a dubious record with an unprecedented 272 strikeouts! The team struggled all year with a last ranked defense and their last ranked pitching staff never got sorted out. Starting pitchers Lefty Grove (15-12, 2.99 ERA), Slim Harriss (18-9, 3.10 ERA) and Tom Zachary (16-8, 3.31 ERA) pitched well, but the rest of the pitching staff struggled.


Here's an interesting factoid: Yankees reliever Walter Beall (5-6, 8 Sv, 3.28 ERA), who had a solid season, managed to lead the AL with 115 walks despite only throwing 112.2 innings! He also struck out 182 batters over that span for a 14.5 K/9 rate but also an ugly 9.2 BB/9 rate. In case you are wondering, that's a 1.58 K/BB ratio that is actually better than the league leader in K/BB - Boston rookie Jack Russell (10-15, 3.80 ERA) - who posted a 1.73 K/BB ratio.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




American League Rosters

[darnoff]

1926 World Series

Game 1

The Giants jumped out to a 5-0 lead in Minnesota after 5 innings against Firpo Marberry, who just didn't have his best stuff on this day. The Twins scored their first two runs in the bottom of the 5th off Waite Hoyt. The Giants added a run in the 7th, which proved to be a key add on run. That was because in the bottom of the 7th, the Twins scored three runs on three hits and a walk against reliever George Smith. That made the game interesting, but Smith threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th and closer Rosy Ryan did the same in the 9th to give the Giants a win in Game 1. Giants leadoff hitter Frankie Frisch got on base all five times he stepped to the plate thanks to two singles and three walks. Then he went on to steal second base each of the first four times he reached base. He also scored three of the team's six runs! Frisch tied Hall of Famer John McGraw with four steals in a World Series game. McGraw performed the feat in 1903.




Game 2

This game was a good old fashioned battle. Both teams scored in the 3rd and 4th innings with the Twins coming out on top with a 5-3 lead. They chased Giants starter Red Lucas from the game after four innings. Meanwhile, Twins starter General Crowder tossed seven innings, allowing just the three runs while striking out nine Giants. In the top of the 8th, Minnesota brought in reliever Jim Brillheart who gave up a double followed by two walks with one out in the inning. Hack Wilson then hit the first pitch he saw from Brillheart for a 2-run single. Brillheart got the next two batters out, but the damage had been done and the game was tied 5-5.

In the bottom of the 8th, the Twins got three singles to load the bases with one out. San Francisco brought in flamethrowing setup man Claude Jonnard to face Minnesota's 3-4 hitters. He struck out Goose Goslin for out #2 and then got Irish Meusel to ground out and end the threat. In the 9th, the Twins got a single off Jonnard, but they could not drive the runner in. In the top of the 10th, Minnesota's Paul Zahniser walked the first two Giants he faced. He got Bill Terry to ground into a double play, but Frankie Frisch moved to 3rd base. Hack Wilson then hit a clutch single to give the Giants a 1-run lead. Closer Rosy Ryan came into the game and allowed a leadoff single to pinch hitter Showboat Fisher, but he got the next three batters to fly out and gave the Giants a 2-game series lead. Meanwhile Frisch got on base in 4-of-5 opportunities thanks to a double and three more walks. He has now reached base nine times in two games and he even stole three more bases and scored three more runs!




Game 3

This game was a great pitcher's duel between the Twins' Bump Hadley and the Giants' Rube Walberg. Both pitchers threw five scoreless innings, and Hadley was the first to flinch, allowing a run in the bottom of the 6th on a leadoff home run from light hitting centerfielder Jigger Statz. An inning later, Hadley allowed another solo home run, this one to shortstop Travis Jackson. Now with a 2-0 lead, Walberg tossed a 1-2-3 8th inning and closer Rosy Ryan came on to pitch the 9th. Goose Goslin reached base to lead off the inning thanks to an error by rookie third baseman Mel Ott. Ryan got the next two batters to fly out before walking Frank Brower to bring the winning run to the plate. Catcher Pinky Hargrave grounded out to shortstop Jackson to end the game and give the Giants a 3-0 series lead.




Game 4

In this do-or-die game for Minnesota, they looked to their long-time ace Walter Johnson to get them a win. Many wondered if this would be the final game for the 20-year veteran and 7-time Pitcher of the Year. He pitched well in this duel with Virgil Barnes. Barnes actually gave up two runs in the 2nd inning and the Twins maintained that lead for a while. With two outs in the bottom of the 5th, Barnes got a single off Johnson to keep the inning alive. That brought up Frankie Frisch, and he promptly hit a 2-run home run to left-center field which tied the game. Johnson pitched a 1-2-3 6th inning but was removed from the game for a pinch hitter in the next frame. The next two innings were scoreless and both teams went down 1-2-3 in the 9th inning which sent the game to extra innings.

Neither team scored in the 10th, but in the 11th, Giants reliever Kent Greenfield allowed a walk and then three singles, scoring a run. Claude Jonnard entered the game and struck out third baseman Ossie Bluege. He then got shortstop Bobby LaMotte to ground out and end the threat. In the bottom of the inning, Twins closer By Speece came into the game and got two quick outs. Hack Wilson then doubled to center field. Speece then pitched around Mel Ott and eventually walked him to create a force play at any base. With shortstop Travis Jackson at the plate, Speece uncorked a wild pitch on a 1-2 count, allowing the runners to advance. Two pitched later, Speece threw another wild pitch which allowed the tying run to score. On the next pitch, Jackson grounded out.

In the bottom of the 13th, the Giants got two singles off Speece and then with one out, Mel Ott drew a walk to load the bases. Five pitches into his at-bat, Travis Jackson hit a fly ball to left field. Speedy Ross Youngs tagged up at third. Not known for his arm strength in left field, Irish Meusel settled under the ball, caught it and threw home as Youngs sped toward the plate. Youngs slid in home just as the ball reached catcher Pinky Hargrave, ending the game 4-3 and the series.




Recap

While this series looks lopsided because the Giants swept four games, it was actually a thrilling series. The Twins had their chances and just fell short. They lost three games by one run each and the other game by two runs. That says a lot when you consider the fact that the Twins struggled over the final month of the regular season and that the Giants had a monstrous offense.

Series MVP

Frankie Frisch, 2B, SFG: .462 AVG, .632 OBP, .769 SLG, 1 HR, 7 Runs, 8 Stolen bases

[darnoff]

1926 Season Awards


NL Batter of the Year




NL Pitcher of the Year




NL Rookie of the Year




NL Fireman Award




NL Gold Gloves
P - Leo Dickerman, LAD
C - Gabby Hartnett, CHN (2nd overall)
1B - Jim Bottomley, STL (2nd overall)
2B - Frankie Frisch, SFG (3rd overall)
3B - Sparky Adams, CHN (2nd overall)
SS - Moe Berg, LAD
LF - Chick Hafey, STL (2nd consecutive)
CF - Taylor Douthit, STL (2nd overall)
RF - Lance Richbourg, PHI (2nd overall)


AL Batter of the Year




AL Pitcher of the Year




AL Rookie of the Year




AL Fireman Award




AL Gold Gloves
P - Jack Russell, BOS (rookie!)
C - Mickey Cochrane, OAK
1B - Joe Hauser, OAK (2nd overall)
2B - Riggs Stephenson, CLE
3B - Willie Kamm, CHW (3rd consecutive)
SS - Homer Ezzell, BAL (2nd consecutive)
LF - Heinie Manush, DET (2nd consecutive)
CF - Johnny Mostil, CHW (4th consecutive)
RF - Edd Roush, CHW (7th overall)

[darnoff]

1927 National League Rookies


Bill Walker, SP, Age 23, Giants

The Giants were in need of some improved pitching, and Walker gives them a hard-throwing lefty to add to the rotation. In fact, Walker will be the Giants' only lefty in the rotation if Rube Walberg (14-8, 4.26 ERA) gets bumped to the bullpen. That is likely since Walberg has scuffled each of the past two seasons, especially by allowing 59 home runs over that span. The team hopes that Walker pitches better in the rotation than Walberg has recently. They also expect Walberg to be deadly out of the bullpen with an upper-90's fastball and devastating curve and change-up.




Lloyd Waner, CF, Age 20, Pirates

The Pirates already have a talented outfield with Kiki Cuyler (.294, 30 HR, 78 RBI, 113 R, 72 SB) in left field and Lloyd's brother Paul Waner (.284, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 97 R) in right field. The only question is, what will happen to 37-year-old Max Carey (.240, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 61 R, 47 SB), a 5-time Gold Glover, after a down year? The team will likely split time with the aging Carey and 23-year-old Mule Haas (.350, 7 HR, 33 RBI in 163 AB), who performed very well when spelling Carey last year. That likely leaves Lloyd Waner out in the cold for at least one season.

Lloyd is an MLB Hall of Famer who plays great defense and hits for a high average. That may be enough to eventually earn him a job in the majors, but he has so little power, below average speed and draws very few walks. That means that in MLHR, he would likely bat 7th or 8th in the lineup and play strictly for his defense. His future could be a platoon with Haas after Carey retires, or possibly a bench role.

[darnoff]

1927 American League Rookies


Bobby Burke, SP, Age 19, Twins

Burke gives the Twins a dependable left-handed starting pitcher. That is something they have not had in recent years. He won't blow you away, but he is reliable and can give you a quality start every time he steps on the mound. He begins his rookie campaign as the #5 starter for the defending AL champs.




Wes Ferrell, SP, Age 18, Indians

Ferrell joins a rotation that is considered to be one of the best in the AL, but they struggled last season. The team expects to rebound this year, and Ferrell should be part of that improvement as he assumes the #5 starter's role




Wilcy Moore, MR, Age 24, Yankees

Yankees closer Red Hoff is the all-time leader in career saves with 476, but he has struggled the past two seasons. At age 35, he is at risk of losing his job, but the team has no one to give it to. Enter Wilcy Moore, who appears to be the heir apparent to the closer's job now. He begins this season as a setup man, but if Hoff struggles again, expect the team to have a short leash.




Carl Reynolds, RF, Age 23, White Sox

Reynolds is a solid offensive performer with plus speed and defensive abilities. He will likely split time in left and right field this season with starters Bibb Falk (.298, 20 HR, 90 RBI) and Edd Roush (.295, 24 HR, 102 RBI). However, it may not be long until Reynolds finds his way into an everyday job.




Fred Schulte, CF, Age 24, Orioles

A natural centerfielder, Schulte will actually begin his career in Baltimore as the starting left fielder. That is because one of the team's top performers is centerfielder Harry Rice (.246, 18 HR, 68 RBI), who will not be giving up the starting job in centerfield any time soon despite a down year in 1926. By giving Schulte the left field job, the Orioles can move George Sisler (.263, 15 HR, 72 RBI, 86 R, 75 SB) back to first base, replacing 39-year-old Del Pratt (.193, 6 HR, 47 RBI in 574 AB) who finally showed his age last year after 14 productive seasons. Schulte will bat leadoff for Baltimore thanks to his ability to get on base. He is also a superb defender.




Sam West, CF, Age 22, Twins

The Twins have been searching for several years to find a player who could hit at the major league level and could also play great defense in centerfield. They have that now in West. He may be one of the best defenders in all of MLHR. By him taking over in centerfield, the Twins can move slugger Goose Goslin (.290, 43 HR, 110 RBI, 16 SB) to a corner outfield spot that is more conducive to his range.