A Minor Dose of Chaos: A Random Debut League

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1900's Team of the Decade: Right Fielder






OK I'll have to confess that this is a bit of a cheat. No Right Fielders have stood out and Reiser was left as an odd man out when we tried to put him to his more regular spots in left and center field. Considering the impact that Pistol Pete has had, it'll be a travesty to leave him out vs Lyman Bostock of the Cincinnati Reds or Aaron Rowand of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Resier was a sensation right out of the gate and his incredible rookie season helped the Brooklyn Superbas to their first (and only to date) World Series appearance and win.

His accolades:

3x MVP (1903 unanimous, 1907, 1908)
1x Rookie of the Year
6x All-Star Selections
5x Silver Sluggers
1x NL Pennant
1x World Series Title
2x Batting Champion
1x RBI Champion
1x Hit Leader
2x Doubles Leader
21x game hit streak in 1903
35x game on-base streak in 1903

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1900's Team of the Decade: Pitchers

Decided for these teams that we'll acknowledge the number of starters normally in rotation minus one. Once relievers come in more common use then we'll also do a reliever of the decade as well. But for this decade -- in an age of four man rotations -- we'll have three spots for pitchers.
















It was a tough call trying to just name three pitchers. Some big names got cut like 3-time Pitcher of the Year Harvey Haddix. Here are the seven finalists. As with some of the other tricky picks, I'd probably change my mind depending on the time of day.

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1900's Team of the Decade

So here's where we ended up with our Team of the Decade

C Charlie Moore (Philadelphia Phillies)
1B Rod Carew (Cleveland Naps)
2B Ozzie Albies (Pittsburgh Pirates)
3B Edgar Martinez (Pittsburgh Pirates)
SS Arky Vaughan (Boston Doves)
LF Johnny Hopp (Cincinnati Reds)
CF Willie Mays (Chicago White Sox)
RF Pete Reiser (Brookyln Superbas)
P Bert Blyleven (Philadelphia Phillies)
P Buttons Briggs (Chicago White Sox)
P Jack Powell (Washington Senators / Cleveland Naps)

And if we were to assemble a second team.

C Dale Murphy (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1B Wes Parker (New York Highlanders)
2B Bobby Grich (Boston Red Sox)
3B Jeff Cirillo (Cincinnati Reds)
SS Tom Cahill (Pittsburgh Pirates)
LF David Peralta (Boston Red Sox)
CF Richie Ashburn (Washington Senators)
RF Lyman Bostock (Cincinnati Reds)
P Ed Halicki (St. Louis Cardinals)
P Teddy Higuera (Brooklyn Dodgers)
P Larry Jansen (Brooklyn Dodgers / Chicago White Sox)

Teams not represented on either team: St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, New York Giants, and the Chicago Cubs.

Some other fun team facts: The Cincinnati Reds were the team of the decade with a 4 NL pennants and 3 World Series title but the Cleveland Naps had a better winning percentage over the decade but with less hardware to go along with that with 3 AL pennants and 1 World Series title.

Teams to avoid the playoffs: Boston Red Sox, Boston Doves, Detroit Tigers, New York Giants, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

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1910: Rod Carew and the Naps go for the Repeat

Rod Carew had just gotten his first taste of postseason success and he was hungry for more. That World Series title sure tasted sweet and he was keen to take his Cleveland Naps back to the big show.

In his way was the Washington Senators.

The Senators were led by 24 year old RF Silent Mike Tiernan, who excelled in getting on base and then nabbing a base or two while he was out there. 3B Tommy Harper, 2B Frankie Frisch and SS Ernie Banks helped keep the runs flowing and the pitching rotation of Tim Belcher, Odalis Perez, Felix Hernandez, and Bruce Hurst was one of the best in baseball. They had finished dead last in 1909 but the emergence of Belcher and Perez recently had bolstered their hope.

The Cleveland Naps were led by 4-time MVP 1B Rod Carew, and included his regular merry gang including two-way player LF Perry Werden, SS Jose Reyes, RF Kirk Gibson, 2B Chick Fulmer, and last year's Pitcher of the Year Jack Powell.

There was early challenges from LF Yordan Alvarez and the Detroit Tigers but the American League soon turned into a fight between the Senators and Naps. By the end of both June and July, the Senators held a two game lead on the AL but a strong August saw the Naps hold pole position by the end of August by a mere half game.

Key to that was the Naps winning 5 out of 7 of their games that month including a walk-off and three come from behind victories. The Naps would extend that lead out to 2.5 games by the end of September, with a three game sweep of the Senators helping to cement their spot at the top of the table.

But then October happened. The Senators came up large and the Naps came up small. Especially on the last days of the season as the Senators finished it all off with a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics that they won the pair off. The Naps still had a chance to force a tiebreaker on their last day of the season but RF George Sisler and the St. Louis Browns buried those hopes when he hit a two-run single to let the Browns complete a three game sweep and extinguish the hopes of Carew to go for back-to-back titles and give the Senators their first chance at a World Series title since they took it out in 1905.



Speaking of repeating, the Philadelphia Phillies were also keen for another stab but they had to fight off some early challenges from the New York Giants and then the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds before eventually cantering to their second straight NL pennant. Bert Blyleven was sparkling for the Phillies and their offense led by 3B Doug Rader, 1B Dave Harris, CF Milt Byrnes, and RF Al Shaw was the best in the National League.

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1910 World Series: Washington Senators vs Philadelphia Phillies





The Senators had been in the big dance before -- back in 1905 -- when they defeated the Cincinnati Reds (before the Reds went on to win three straight titles). Some survivors from that World Series still on the Senators include 1B Casey Lansford, 2B Frankie Frisch, C Jonathan Lucroy, SP Felix Hernandez, SP Bruce Hurst, and CL Bill Sayles.

The Phillies return with the same squad that lost the 1909 World Series to the Cleveland Naps.



Game one is a pitcher's duel between Bert Blyleven and Tim Belcher with Blyleven getting the better of the two with a complete game shutout to give the Phillies an early advantage in the series.



Another pitcher's duel. This time between Ham Iburg and Odalis Perez. This time, the Phillies waited until the bottom of the 8th to get their two runs thanks to the bottom of their lineup card with C Charlie Moore and SS Johnnie LeMaster hitting a triple and single to get the first run home.

The Phillies have now pitched two complete game shutouts against the Senators!



The Senators finally break the 20 inning scoreless streak against the Phillies when LF Mike Tiernan makes the most of an infield hit in the bottom of the 3rd. Once on, Tiernan immediately steals second and then gets home after a hard hit groundball single from 1B Casey Lansford.

Tiernan is in the action again in the bottom of the 5th when he hits a 2-RBI single to get the lead for the Senators for the first time in this World Series. For good measure, Tiernan steals second again, and then makes his way home after another single from Lansford.



We come back around to the game one starters as Bert Blyleven and Tim Belcher take the mound. We've got another complete game shutout but this time it comes from Belcher while the Senators pile on against Blyleven. This series is tied up!



The top of the 8th was a disaster for Senator pitcher Odalis Perez. It started off with a lead-off home run from 1B Dave Harris and just went downhill from there as the Phillies piled on 4 runs to break the game open.

Particular lowlights for Perez included a 4-pitch bases loaded walk issued to SS Johnnie LeMaster (and after intentionally walking C Charlie Moore too).



One game away from victory and the Phillies show some cracks in the 1st. Tommy Greene issues a walk to Mike Tiernan and then balks him over to second base before a dropped two-out fly ball by Phillies LF Charlie Keller lets Tiernan to get home for an early Senator lead.

The Senators would pick up a couple more runs in the 4th to force the game seven.



For the third straight time, we get a complete game shutout when Bert Blyleven and Tim Belcher go the mound but this time round it's Blyleven that comes out on top with an astonishing one-hitter to close the door on the hopes of the Senators.

The Philadelphia Phillies have won their first World Series since 1901!

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1910 Award Winners



Rod Carew loves to hit and loves his stack of MVP awards. This is MVP #5 for the 28 year old. His season wasn't quite as incredible as his 1909 performance that drove the Naps to the World Series title but it turns out that a normal Rod Carew season is still easily MVP caliber.

Carew led the AL in batting average (by a good twenty points) and hits (by 29) while also being top 5 in RBIs, OBP, and WAR.

It had some mild competition. The two corner outfielders from the Detroit Tigers: Yordan Alvarez and Pedro Guerrero garnered plenty of second and third place votes. Some voters went a little alternative with their vote with RF Silent Mike Tiernan (Washington) picking up a couple first place votes as well as fellow Senator 3B Tommy Harper, and Cleveland's two-way player Perry Werden also getting a nod.



Speaking of repeat winners, LF Pistol Pete Reiser picked up his fourth MVP title over in the NL universe. The Dodgers were mediocre (78-76) but Reiser led the NL in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, Doubles, Total Bases, wRC+, and wOBA.

His main competition came from 24 year old SS Dave Bancroft of the New York Giants who put up some great hitting numbers (.312/.377/.389 with 31 doubles, and a 135 wRC+ alongside some great defense to put up an interesting case. Ultimately 9 voters sided with Reiser and 5 went with Bancroft, with the last two first place votes going to the NL pitcher of the year.



There's plenty of reasons that the Senators put together an AL pennant team -- lots of attention was given to lead-off man RF Silent Mike Tiernan or their league leader in RBIs 3B Tommy Harper but the true force that propelled the Senators to success was their pitching. Two sophomore pitchers headed the rotation and dominated the American League: Tim Belcher and Odalis Perez. Pitcher of the Year voters largely knew they wanted to award someone from the Washington Senators but weren't entirely sure. In the end, Belcher took it out 8 votes to 6.

Belcher led the American League in ERA, Shutouts, and win percentage and was top 5 in Wins, WAR, WHIP. Perez was top 5 in K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB, K/9, FIP-, Quality Starts, Shutouts, and WAR.



It feels like Blyleven has been around forever but as he completes a season with his third Pitcher of the Year prize and first World Series title, it serves us to remind you that he's only 24.

It was a near unanimous selection. Teddy Higuera (of 1.75 ERA vs Bert's 2.08) of the Brooklyn Dodgers got a single first place vote.

Blyelven finished the season with a 27-10 record, five wins ahead of anyone else. His 2.08 ERA was the second best in the NL, he led the league in shutouts, winning percentage and opponent average and was top 5 in Complete Games, Strikeouts, K/9, ERA+, and rWAR.

Most importantly, he was a critical part of the Phillies taking out their first World Series title since 1901.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Perry Werden (Cleveland Naps) *******
C Charles Zimmer (Chicago White Sox)
1B Rod Carew (Cleveland Naps) *******
2B Frankie Frisch (Washington Senators)
3B Tommy Harper (Washington Senators) *
SS Carlos Garcia (Boston Red Sox)
LF Yordan Alvarez (Detroit Tigers) **
CF Willie Mays (Chicago White Sox) ******
RF Pedro Guerrero (Detroit Tigers) **

NATIONAL LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Frank Hankinson (Chicago Cubs) ****
C Chris Hoiles (Cincinnati Reds) **
1B Dave Harris (Philadelphia Phillies) *
2B Fred Pfeffer (Boston Doves)
3B Jeff Cirillo (Cincinnati Reds) ***
SS Dave Bancroft (New York Giants)
LF Jim McTamany (Brooklyn Dodgers)
CF Pete Reiser (Brooklyn Dodgers) *****
RF Al Shaw (Philadelphia Phillies)

AMERICAN LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Bobby Madritsch (Boston Red Sox)
C Kenji Johjima (St. Louis Browns) ****
1B Rod Carew (Cleveland Naps)
2B Frankie Frisch (Washington Senators)
3B Willie Kamm (St. Louis Browns) ********
SS Ron Hansen (St. Louis Browns) *****
LF Dan Ford (Chicago White Sox)
CF Beauty McGowan (Cleveland Naps) ****
RF Kirk Gibson (Cleveland Naps) **

NATIONAL LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Milo Candini (Boston Doves)
C Dale Murphy (Pittsburgh Pirates) ***
1B Maikel Franco (St. Louis Cardinals) ******
2B Dale Sveum (St. Louis Cardinals) *******
3B Tillie Shafer (St. Louis Cardinals) ****
SS Johnnie LeMaster (Philadelphia Phillies) ****
LF Johnny Hopp (Cincinnati Reds) ***
CF Phil Cavarretta (CIncinnati Reds) **
RF Aaron Rowand (Pittsburgh Pirates) *******

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1910: The 500 Stolen Base Club

It's been on the horizon for a while now but this season we inducted the first five members of the 500 stolen base club.

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1910: Miscellaneous



Plenty of new members to the 1500 hits club this season: Rod Carew making it with about 200 less games or 500 less plate appearances than anyone else on this list.

Miguel Cabrera is a good candidate to hit 2000 during 1912. He's on 1756 at the moment and has been getting 160-180/season recently. 31 years old, so shouldn't be declining too hard at this point. I imagine he'll be first. He's got a 41 hit lead on Richie Ashburn who hits at a similar rate but is a year younger.



Frankie Frisch and Jimmy Ryan become members #9 and #10 of the 400 Stolen Base club this season.



The Highlanders scored a famous win over the Tigers on this particular Tuesday night as 2B Irv Ray hit a 2-out 2-run double to complete the walk-off.



Less than a week later, the Athletics come back from being 5-0 down to win the game in walk-off fashion in extras.

Chick Hafey not only contributing the walk-off hit but also a two-RBI single in the bottom of the 8th to even make it all possible.

Name Changes
The Boston Doves have rebranded as the Boston Rustlers.

ROOKIE DRAFT
Pick 1: Chicago White Sox pick 19 year old SS Jumpin' Joe Dugan
Pick 2: St. Louis Cardinals pick 20 year old C Cal McVey
Pick 3: Washington Senators pick 20 year old CF Andre "The Hawk" Dawson
Pick 4: Chicago Cubs pick 22 year old RF Geronimo Berroa
Pick 5: Boston Red Sox pick 19 year old CF Ruppert "Rupe" Jones
Pick 6: Detroit Tigers pick 20 year old SS Felix Mantilla
Pick 7: Philadelphia Athletics pick 20 year old SS Matt "Carson Crusher" Williams
Pick 8: St. Louis Browns pick 24 year old LF Johnny Mokan
Pick 9: Brooklyn Dodgers pick 19 year old SS Shorty Fuller
Pick 10: New York Giants pick 23 year old C Bob Boone

Dugan was a pick of the Washington Senators in 1909 but they failed to come to an agreement and we went off to College. He's certainly ready to hit the MLB now and while his defense isn't great. He'll be a certainity to hit the starting lineup as a Shortstop for the White Sox should they reach an agreement.

Not too sure if McVey will stay on as a Catcher for the Cardinals. They already have 26 year old Bill Dickey filling that position so might stick McVey in Right Field.

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Jacoby Ellsbury Announces Retirement






Jacoby Ellsbury was a stolen base machine for the Senators. He was a member of the Senators since the 1901 days as a 29 year old and over the first 6 years stole at least 50 bases. It wasn't until 1907 as a 35 year old that he had to settle for 38 as a 35 year old.

He was the second player to reach 400 career stolen bases -- a mere 10 days after George Davis became the first.

He had a tendency to kick games off with a home run. He picked up 9 lead-off home runs over his career, a surprisingly large proportion of the 15 he hit in total.

His best season was likely 1902, where he went .322/.365/.425 with 65 stolen bases and 61 RBIs and as well as put up a 21 game hit streak and 33 game on base streak. Unfortunately the Senators went 63-77 that year and finished 7th in the AL.

He'd put up pretty good numbers again in 1903 and even hit for the second ever cycle in a game against Detroit but the Senators would again finish 7th with a 61-79 record.

It wouldn't be until 1905 that the Senators would put together a winning season. And what a winning season as they went from 8th in 1904 to the World Series in 1905 where they'd sweep the 99-55 Cincinnati Reds. Ellsbury was 33 at this point but still capable of leading the league in runs and stolen bases while putting up a 114 wRC+. He may have not been at the height of his powers but he was still an excellent ballplayer and a key contributor to their world series win.

He retires 9th in career stolen bases across the entire MLB. For the Senators, he retires second in career batting average, 3rd in career slugging, 3rd in career OPS, 2nd in career WAR (with his 1902 season the second best season in WAR for the Senators behind Mike Tiernan's 1909 season), 2nd in career Runs (with his 1901 season leading the Senators), 3rd in career Hits, 3rd in total bases (again, his 1901 season leading the Senators in a single season), 2nd in triples (1901, tied for first with Frankie Frisch in 1901 as well), 3rd in RBIs, and 2nd in stolen bases (behind Frisch).

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Pedro Martinez Announces Retirement






It certainly feels like we were robbed of the best of Pedro Martinez. He was undoubtedly one of the best performers at the birth of the league in 1901 but stuck with a mediocre New York Giants squad for his peak and a fractured knee that bought a very promising 1902 campaign to an end after 8 starts (1.36 ERA / 0.89 WHIP / 239 ERA+), he never managed to get a moment in the World Series and came up just short in Pitcher of the Year voting. A 2nd place finish to Randy Johnson in 1901 as close as he got.

The best finish the New York Giants ever managed in the time Martinez was with the club (and since) was 3rd in 1901. As time went by they fell further down, 4th in 1902, 5th in 1903, last in 1904, 7th in 1905, and 7th in 1906. Never once did they look like they were close to competing.

Finally in 1906, Martinez was dealt to to the Brooklyn Superbas as they attempted to chase down the dominant Cincinnati Reds. They failed (by 11 games) but Martinez felt himself revitalised by the chase. His Brooklyn starts of 1906 were among the best games he ever pitched and reminded everyone of how good he had been in the first few years.

After the highs of 1906, Martinez's game fell off. The fundamentals remained alright, as his FIP maintained it's normal level but his ERA dipped below average for the first time in his career and it kept getting worse in 1908 until the Superbas quietly relegated him down into the reserve roster.

• 1901 Awards
• 1906: Moose & Rod vs the World (Well, Cincinnati)

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Buddy Myer Announces Retirement






At this exact moment in 1910, no team has more wins to their name than Clevaland. They've picked up 840 since 1901 with only the Cincinnati Reds (812) and Philadelphia Phillies (803) checking in with more than 800.

Buddy Myer was a key reason of that success. As he retires, in Cleveland history he is second in batting average, second in OBP (his 1903 season is the best single season all time for Cleveland), second in SLG, second in OPS, 4th in WAR, 4th in Runs, 4th in Hits, 3rd in RBIs, and 1st in Walks (his 1905 season is the best single season all time for Cleveland). He was the unquestioned star of that batting lineup until Rod Carew broke out in 1904.

His best year was his MVP season in 1903 and kicked off an impressive run of 5 straight Cleveland players taking out the prize (Myer then Carew twice then Perry Werden then Carew for his third before Cory Sullivan of the St. Louis Browns broke that streak in 1908).

Myer's 1908 season was even better offensively but by this point his defense was so bad that it almost didn't matter. From 1901 to 1905 his ZR hovered from -0.3 to -7.4 but exploded to -21.4 in 1906 and would only get worse. At this moment of time, no one has a worse zone rating at Second Base all time than Myer.

It goes.

38 Cavan Biggio -35.3
39 Jason Kipnis -35.9
40 Jose Altuve -44.6
41 Anthony Rendon -70.0
42 Buddy Myer -119.9

The Naps made the decision that his elite bat was worth keeping him in the lineup, shifting him to 1B was a non-starter with Carew already filling the role so they took their knocks. By 1909, that was becoming untenable
and the role of full time second baseman was given to Chick Fulmer.

But, injury to Third Baseman Miguel Rojas foisted Myer back to his regular spot as Fulmer took on the hot corner right as the team went into the World Series against the Phillies but Myer didn't let his team down.

Cleveland had come up short in the World Series twice already and Myer did his best to secure the sweep. In that series -- as a 37 year old -- he went 6-17 with 4 walks and 4 RBIs to finish with a .353/.476/.353 slash line (160 wRC+). His 12 postseason walks is currently the best all time.

By the next season, he made very limited starts and his pinch hit opportunities yielded underwhelming results. With a MVP, numerous All-Star and Silver Slugger honours, 3x AL Pennants and a World Series title under his belt, he decided to call it a career.

• 1903 Award Winners
• 1901 World Series: Cleveland Blues vs Philadelphia Phillies
• 1906 World Series: Cleveland Naps vs Cincinnati Reds
• 1909 World Series: Cleveland Naps vs Philadelphia Phillies

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Nick Altrock Announces Retirement






Nick Altrock was a prankster but once he took the mound he was all business. He was particularly dominant in 1901 and 1903 when he took home the AL Pitcher of the Year award and was a key component of the 1903 New York Highlanders winning the AL pennant.

That 1903 side fell short in the World Series with Nick Altrock a star in game two. He pitched 5 scoreless innings before giving up three to leave the game tied up in the bottom of the ninth. Altrock came up to bat with the bases loaded and one out and slotted a nice ground ball single to walk it off.

That'll be Altrock's only ever walk-off hit and his only hit in the postseason.

He'd take the mound again in game five but get hammered by the Brooklyn bats. Ultimately, Brooklyn would take the series and Altrock would never see the postseason again.

His game declined after 1903 but he remained a solid middle of the rotation guy. The Highlanders would trade him off to the Superbas as part of a package for Catcher Jerry Moses in 1905 where he finished his career off in Dodger Blue.

• 1901 Awards
• 1903 Award Winners
• 1903 World Series: New York Highlanders vs Brooklyn Superbas

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Hardy Richardson Announces Retirement






Hardy Richardson was a tricky proposition throughout his career. Unfortunately we only got Hardy Richardson in his 30's but he still proved a terror for any opposing team. He was an above average hitter right up to his age-38 season and was always looking to steal a base.

Back in 1902, the Cardinals traded him for 4 prospects to the Chicago Orphans. The final piece to push the Orphans to a World Series win. (none of those prospects worked out for the Cardinals so I guess Chicago won that trade)

As he retires, he is second all time in Chicago Cub history in career batting average, 3rd in on-base percentage, 2nd in slugging, 2nd in OPS, and second in stolen bases. His 1904 season holds the record for doubles in a season for the Cubs, and his 1905 season is tied for the stolen base record.

• 1902 World Series: Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Orphans

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1911: A Familiar Script

Someone up there decided they liked how the 1910 season finished off and asked for more of the same as the Cleveland Naps and Philadelphia Phillies were returned to the World Series.

It wasn't looking this way in May though. At the end of May the Naps were 22-24, 5.5 games back, and 6th. The Phillies were 22-23, 7 games back, and 5th.

Leading the way in the American League was the Chicago White Sox fueled by veteran CF Willie Mays and rookie SS Joe Dugan, who went on to break the single season home run record with 13 dingers.

Over in the National League, it was Boston Rustler territory. A 24 year old 1B Freddie Freeman was leading the way to give his team a 3.5 game lead over anyone else.

By the end of June, the White Sox and Rustlers had fallen off the top spot. The Naps and Phillies had risen but the top spots were occupied by the Washington Senators and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Senators were anchored by two young outfielders in RF Mike Tiernan and CF Andre Dawson while the Pirates were reaping the benefits of 35 year old 3B Edgar Martinez's best ever season.

But the will of some anonymous force would have it's way. On the 3rd of August, the Phillies took the lead in the NL with a commanding 9-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. It'll be a month later on the 4th of September when the Naps would take the lead in the AL with an also commanding 9-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.

The Naps and Phillies never looked back and will meet each other in the World Series for the third time. The Phillies won it all in 1901, the Naps returned the favour in 1909. Who's got what it takes for 1911?





Should also take a moment to report the ball has started to liven up. Not since 1901 has the runs come this easy. The single season record for RBIs remains Randal Grichuk in 1901 with 118 but this marked the first time since that players got more than 100 with Hank Edwards (New York Highlanders), Joe Dugan (Chicago White Sox), Yordan Alvarez (Detroit Tigers), Gary Matthews (Boston Red Sox), and Fred Beck (Chicago White Sox) all getting more than 100.

There does seem to be a bit of an imbalance between the offense of the American League and the pitching of the National League.

Plenty of single season records did fall though: Rod Carew (Cleveland Naps) has the new batting average record (beating his own 1909 mark), Mike Tiernan has the new OBP record (beating out Roy Thomas's 1901 record), Joe Dugan (Chicago White Sox) has the new home run record (beating out Yordan Alvarez in 1910), and Jim McTamany (Brooklyn Dodgers) smashed the walk record (beating out Roy Thomas again -- but this time his 1910 season).

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1911 World Series: Cleveland Naps vs Philadelphia Phillies





These two teams are not too dissimilar from when they clashed in the 1909 World Series. Back then the Phillies took game one, before the Naps rampaged home to win the next four straight.



Taking the mound was Perry Werden for Cleveland and Bert Blyleven for Philadelphia. Werden, a two-way star was known more for his hitting rather than his pitching but he'd balanced it up this season with an AL leading 2.99 ERA that shifted the 1909 Pitcher of the Year Jack Powell down to second in the rotation (he also hit in the cleanup position in case you worried that his batting had suffered)

Blyleven was 25 years old and a three time pitcher of the year. That was all the introduction he needed.

The Naps wasted no time with Blyleven. From the first pitch, SS Jose Reyes hit a triple out to right field and all 2B Chick Fulmer needed to do three pitches later was ground out to a 4-3 play to get Reyes home. Four pitches in the game and the Phillies -- with the most decorated pitcher of the day -- was already down 1-0.

Up came the most decorated hitter of the day -- 1B Rod Carew -- and he got himself a single. He'll be ultimately stranded but it wasn't a good start for the defending champion Phillies and it was about to get worse.

The inning flipped to the bottom of the 2nd and it started off alright with 3B Miguel Rojas grounding into a 5-3 play but then Blyleven issued a 4 pitch walk to LF Coco Crisp. Crisp would steal second and then advance to third when Philadelphia C Charlie Moore's misses the mark.

Blyleven would then issue his second straight walk to CF Beauty McGowan. RF Bobby Smith would then come up and jump straight on the first pitch for a single to bring home Crisp. McGowan and Smith would then attempt a double steal -- and again -- Moore's throw to third would miss the target and let McGowan go home and for Smith to advance to third. Blyleven was flustered and walked SS Jose Reyes.

Naturally Reyes tried his luck at stealing 2nd and again, Moore's throw missed the second baseman. Smith scored and Reyes went to third and was immediately sent home when 2B Chick Fulmer hit a line drive single.

Three E2's in the same innings had led to a 5-0 lead for the Naps and we were only two innings deep. The Naps would extend the lead to a 6-0 one in the 3rd when finally, the Philadelphia bats woke up.

1B Dave Harris hit a double and then 3B Doug Rader hit a single to get Harris home in the 4th.Then in the 6th, Werden loaded the bases with an error, walk, and single before walking in two runs to let the Phillies close the gap to 6-3.

Werden kept having trouble finding the strike zone in the 8th. He walked the first two before C Charlie Moore ground into a fielder's choice to leave runners on the corners. SS Denis Menke hit a hard hit single to left to get the runner from third home before another single loaded the bases. Werden then walked RF Al Shaw to bring in another run. Suddenly the 6-0 lead had gone right down to 6-5.

It'll go from bad to worse in the top of the 9th for the Naps. 3B Doug Rader reached on a dropped fly ball by the Right Fielder before Werden walked LF Charlie Keller. They'll pick up an out on the bunt attempt by CF Milt Byrnes before PH Nellie Fox flied out to Center Field but a throwing error let Rader score to tie the game up.

Nellie Fox, bizarrely then decided to play Catcher (even though there was a catcher on the bench and Fox had never played Catcher in his professional life??? Anyway it didn't actually matter but still weird) as the game switched to the bottom of the 9th with everything tied up. 2B Chick Fulmer hit a line drive single out to right, promptly stole second and then let 1B Rod Carew hit the walk-off single to get him home. Fulmer, with plenty of speed to beat the throw from the Left Fielder.

Cleveland nearly screw a 6-0 lead up but get the all-important 1-0 lead in the series.



A huge top of the 6th lets the Phillies tie the series up. C Charlie Moore made up for his three throwing errors in game one with a bases clearing triple.



As the Naps went up 4-3 thanks to a 1B Rod Carew bases clearing triple in the top of the 7th they thought they might have done enough but then came the bottom of the 8th as the Phillies piled on 7 runs to take the game out 10-4 and take a 2-1 lead in the series. C Charlie Moore coming up big again with a bases clearing double to get the Phillies their lead.



It's tight but game four falls to the Naps to tie the series up. The Phillies are granted plenty of opportunities but fail to capitalise as the Naps grind it out.



The stage is set for Jack Powell (Cleveland) and Ham Iburg (Philadelphia) to battle it out. The Phillies get early advantage but once the game switches to the 7th inning the Naps start to mount heir comeback.

2B Chick Fulmer leads off the top of the 7th with a double, and 1B Rod Carew brings him home with a triple. LF Perry Werden gets hit by a pitch and then steals second. Another C Charlie Moore throw misses the mark and Carew takes the chance to score the second run of the inning to make it 3-2.

The Phillies will bounce back in the bottom of the 7th with a RF Al Shaw single and 1B Dave Harris triple to stretch their advantage to 4-2 but with two out in the top of the 8th and runners in 1st and 2nd. 1B Rod Carew, hits a line drive double as calm as you can get to tie the game up.

As we shift to the top of the 9th, there's two outs and runners in the corners. Instead of the best hitter of the decade, we've got pitcher Jack Powell up.

Turns out that's not a problem. He hits a line drive single over to left field and brings in the runner from third in. For the first time in the game, Cleveland have the lead 5-4.

The game shifts to the bottom of the 9th. 3B Doug Rader leads off with a single and LF Charlie Keller draws a walk. CF Milt Byrnes is told to do a sac bunt, he tries.

But misses.

He tries again.

But misses.

So screw it he thinks, and smacks a double to the left fielder. Rader scores to tie it up and Keller settles in at third.

The Phillies send up Sal Bando to pitch hit for C Charlie Moore, but the Naps intentionally walk him. So, bases loaded, no outs. The Phillies send out Gregg Jefferies to pinch hit and he sends the ball deep to the Center Fielder. Plenty of time for Keller to make it home from third to win the game for Philadelphia.

The Phillies are now one game away from their second straight World Series win.



With their backs against the wall. The Naps come up big in game six with a commanding 7-3 win.



And the Naps have won it! They close it out with a comprehensive 6-1 victory to close it out and bring Cleveland their second ever World Series title.

Rod Carew is named the Series MVP after he went .517/.517/.828 with 9 RBIs over these past seven games including the walk-off hit in game one. Those are new postseason records for average, slugging, OPS, total bases, and doubles.

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1911 Award Winners



Starting to run out of words for this guy.

Carew is 29.

He's won the MVP prize 6 times, this is the third straight year he's done. He's won 2 World Series titles with the Naps and was the World Series MVP in the last one. He's been selected to the All-Star game 8 times. He's won the Silver Slugger 9 times. He's even picked up the Gold Glove award the last two years.

Like, if he was bad at defense then we could let that slide, but no... He happens to be good.

So what did he do this season? I don't know, broke his own bloody batting average title.

I named him in the team of the 1900's decade. At this rate, he'll probably get into the 1910's one as well.



It's funny. Pete Reiser is putting together a very impressive body of work but it can't help be overshadowed by the exploits of Carew over in the American League. But this is the 5th MVP prize for Pistol Pete.

He faced some stiff competition from Boston Ruster 1B Freddie Freeman, who's .368 batting average was good for fifth best all time.



I think we'd probably agree that Freeman had the better offensive season but the voters clearly decided that Reiser's defensive contributions gave him the edge in this. All in all, five voters went to Resier, four to Freeman, five to the NL Pitcher of the Year, and one each to Philadelphia Catcher Charlie Freeman and Pittsburgh 3B Edgar Martinez.





We have a tie! The voters couldn't decide between these two Red Sox Pitchers and so we have our first ever co-pitchers of the year. I mean, they have identical ERAs so how can the voters be expected to tell them apart?

Both Bender and Lynch attacked the zone with exceptional control, leading the American League in WHIP, BB/9, and K/BB. Both have a curveball, changeup, and screwball in their arsenal, and both lead the American League in wins.

It's a pity that the Red Sox couldn't capitalise on having the two best pitchers in the league. Instead, they finished the season a mediocre 79-75.



Runs have become more common as the decade switches to the 1910's but Ed Halicki is still here pretending it's 1908 and putting up a 2.12 ERA.

Fun fact, 1908 was the last time that Halicki won Pitcher of the Year and he put up a 1.59 ERA for a 146 ERA+. Now, three years later a 2.12 ERA is good enough for a massive 176 ERA+.

Doing a quick scan of our previous winners reveals that only Joe Johnson of the St. Louis Browns has put up a better ERA+ in a single season. (178)

We'd like to highlight a near perfect game in the middle of the year against the New York Giants.



A lead-off double in the 7th was the only thing holding Halicki back from the first ever perfect game. An outstanding throw to home from RF Gregory Polanco to complete the double play meant that Halicki only had to face the minimum 27 hitters.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Perry Werden (Cleveland Naps) ********
C Charles Zimmer (Chicago White Sox) *
1B Rod Carew (Cleveland Naps) ********
2B Chick Fulmer (Cleveland Naps)
3B Brook Jacoby (New York Highlanders) **
SS Joe Dugan (Chicago White Sox)
LF Yordan Alvarez (Detroit Tigers) ***
CF Braggo Roth (Philadelphia Athletics) ******
RF Ginger Beaumont (Chicago White Sox)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Bert Blyleven (Philadelphia Phillies)
C Charlie Moore (Philadelphia Phillies) ****
1B Freddie Freeman (Boston Rustlers)
2B Ozzie Albies (Pittsburgh Pirates) ***
3B Edgar Martinez (Pittsburgh Pirates) *
SS Dave Bancroft (New York Giants) *
LF Hugh Duffy (St. Louis Cardinals) *
CF Pete Reiser (Brooklyn Dodgers) ******
RF Ben Grieve (Chicago Cubs)

AMERICAN LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Bobby Madritsch (Boston Red Sox) *
C Kenji Johjima (St. Louis Browns) *****
1B Rod Carew (Cleveland Naps) *
2B Sam Wise (Detroit Tigers)
3B Miguel Rojas (Cleveland Naps) *
SS Ron Hansen (St. Louis Browns) ******
LF Cory Sullivan (St. Louis Browns) **
CF Beauty McGowan (Cleveland Naps) *****
RF Bobby Smith (Cleveland Naps)

NATIONAL LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Jim Maloney (Boston Rustlers)
C Dale Murphy (Pittsburgh Pirates) ****
1B Maikel Franco (St. Louis Cardinals) *******
2B Dale Sveum (St. Louis Cardinals) ********
3B Tillie Shafer (St. Louis Cardinals) *****
SS Johnnie LeMaster (Philadelphia Phillies) *****
LF Hugh Duffy (St. Louis Cardinals) *
CF Phil Cavarretta (CIncinnati Reds) ***
RF Aaron Rowand (Pittsburgh Pirates) ********

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1911: 2000 K Club

1911 saw the first four inductees into the 2000 Strikeout Club.





It was a flurry of activity in the early part of the season with Rustler pitcher Jim Maloney the first to hit the mark when he struck out Dodger pitcher with his changeup.

Maloney, has been with the Rustler organisation since they were called the Beaneaters. He's made four all-star appearances, has two third place finishes in Pitcher of the Year voting and has been top five in strikeouts every single season since 1901, and top in the league five times.

He'd definitely have to to be the best pitcher to not win the Pitcher of the Year award.




Slightly more than two weeks later, he was joined by Jack Powell and Buttons Briggs who both recorded their 2000 strikeout on the same day (cute).

Jack Powell is a one time Pitcher of the Year (with four 2nd place finishes and two 3d place finishes) and 5 time All-Star. He's picked up a title with the Washington Senators and two titles with the Cleveland Naps. He's been top 5 in strikeouts every season since 1903.



Buttons Briggs is a time two Pitcher of the Year and three time All-Star. His 1904 mark of 287 strikeouts sits as an all time record for a single season. He's been top 10 in strikeouts every season since 1901.



And finally, a week after Powell and Briggs notched up their 2000th. McGill became the fourth member of the club. McGill is a five time All-Star and was a member of the 1904 Philadelphia Athletics side that won the World Series.

The next pitcher likely to join is Nap Rucker, who is just 15 shy. From there, it's a bit unclear who will next join. The next people on the list are 1600ish and all on the wrong side of 35.

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1911: Miscellaneous



10 new members to the 1500 Hit Club: Jose Reyes, Edgar Martinez, Sam Crawford, Bobby Grich, Hugh Duffy, Ray Grimes, Frankie Frisch, Phil Cavarretta, Willie Kamm, and Sam West.

We're expecting our first inductees to the 2000 Hit Club in 1912. Miguel Cabrera is currently in the lead with 1939, a pretty decent lead over Yordan Alvarez with 1852, Richie Ashburn with 1850, Wes Parker with 1848, and Rod Carew with 1831. All of them are candidates to join the club next season. (Wes Parker would be an interesting one, he's 40 but still holding down his First Base job with the Highlanders and actually had his best season since 1904 this season. If he can replicate those 174 hits next season then he's in).



6 new members of the 400 stolen base club. Silent Mike Tiernan became the fastest to reach the club: 150 games quicker than anyone else!

Also joining is: Irv Ray, Chippy McGarr, Braggo Roth, Tillie Shafer, and Jose Ramirez all join the speedster club.

No new members of the 500 stolen base club but we've definitely got contenders for next season. Sam Crawford is sitting on 499 at the end of the season. Frankie Frisch is on 474, he's 32 now and grabbed 37 bags last season. So definitely an interesting one to watch. Mike Tiernan is a guarantee if he can keep his rates up. His worst season so far has been 69 (which led the league), and he's only 42 away at the moment.

Jimmy Ryan is also interesting. He's on 456 and stole 56 in his age-36 season for Brooklyn.



And our first members of the 200 Win Club: Buttons Briggs, Jim Maloney, Charles Bender, Perry Werden, and Ed Halicki.



Sad Sam Gray seemed an unlikely candidate for a no-hitter. He's had a solid but rather unremarkable career to date. There was that one year, back in 1905 where he threw for a 2.06 ERA and made the All-Star team but he's largely gone under the radar. His best seasons to date have been for the perpetually disappointing New York Giants and then he got traded to the St. Louis Browns where he's slotted into 4th in the rotation.

So let's just say that on this Monday game that no one expected this. Of the 3849 people that filed into Huntington Avenue Grounds that day, none of them thought that Sam Gray was to render the Red Sox hitters useless.

Gray walked only one person that day: Boston knuckleballer Lew Moren in the 6th.

Lew Moren has been a pitcher in the majors since 1901 (he took a break in 1905 and 1906 to pursue his beekeeping passion). He's made 278 plate appearances in that time and walked 10 times. One of those ten walks was the only thing standing between Sam Gray and the first ever perfect game.

Baseball.



We had two cycles this season. Ginger Beaumont of the Chicago White Sox was the first, but I thought we'd feature the exploits of Pedro Guerrero for the Detroit Tigers.

Guerrero provided all the runs in their 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Naps with a very timely 2-run triple in the 8th to finish it off.

NAME CHANGES
The Boston Rustlers become the Boston Braves. (finally)

ROOKIE DRAFT
Pick 1: Philadelphia Athletics pick 18 year old 2B Joe Morgan
Pick 2: New York Giants pick 26 year old LF Bob Johnson
Pick 3: Chicago Cubs pick 20 year old SS Ketel Marte
Pick 4: Brooklyn Dodgers pick 19 year old SS Vern "Junior" Stephens
Pick 5: Detroit Tigers pick 18 year old C Lou Hardie
Pick 6: Chicago White Sox pick 22 year old SS Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto
Pick 7: Cincinnati Reds pick 20 year old LF George Burns
Pick 8: Boston Red Sox pick 21 year old C Tim Laudner
Pick 9: St. Louis Browns pick 20 year old SP Jon Lester
Pick 10: St. Louis Cardinals pick 20 year old SP Bill Dinneen

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Harvey Haddix Announces His Retirement






There's a beautiful fleeting moment when Harvey Haddix's curveball breaks that serves as a nice way to look at the career of Haddix. There was a moment where Haddix won Pitcher of the Year three times running, where his Cincinnati Reds won the National League four times straight, and the World Series three times straight.

Then the ball fell in the dirt and it was over.

In 1903, he was 11-24 with a 4.37 ERA. The Reds were 60-80, 23 games off the pace and then Haddix figured it out.

In 1904, he was 20-18 with a 2.50 ERA. He pitched his first ever complete game shutout. The Reds hadn't quite caught up as they went 72-82 but only 12.5 games behind.

But then 1905, it all came together. The Reds put together the best regular season of all time, going 99-55 to cruise their way to the NL pennant (16 games ahead of second place). At the center of it all was Left Fielder Johnny Hopp and Haddix. He went 22-13 with a 2.06 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. The Reds fell short in the World Series, as they came up short against the Washington Senators but Haddix did get a consolation prize with a near-unanimous pitcher of the year prize.

Up to this point, no team in either the American or National League had won their leagues back to back but the Reds followed up their 1905 campaign with another cruise to the pennant (93-61, 11 games ahead of second) and Haddix was even more dominant. 22-13 with a 1.87 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. When the World Series rolled around, he stepped it up with a 0.67 ERA over his 3 starts as the Reds won it in seven.

Harvey won his second pitcher of the year award unanimously this time.

In 1907, it was the same script. The Reds cruised and Haddix dominated. But there was a wrinkle this time, a knee injury in mid September forced him out of the World Series but no matter, the Reds beat the challenges from the St. Louis Browns and won it all and Haddix won his third straight pitcher of the year prize.

In 1908, he was something else. He came out of the gate with a 1.13 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over his first 15 starts. But, on a fateful June Saturday he tore his UCL and it was over.

The Reds were fine, they won their fourth straight NL pennant and defeated the Browns for their third straight World Series title.

He tried to make a comeback in 1909. He threw a total of 2 innings in relief and gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 3 earned runs for an ERA of 13.50. He was a shadow of himself. We'll never know what could have been in 1908 or what other joys of baseball Haddix could have provided were it not for a torn UCL. He'll never be seen on the major league mound again.

The Reds were still good but the dynasty was over. They finished 2nd in 1909 and 1910 and 5th in 1911 as the Philadelphia Phillies became the new hot team in the National League. A lot of the pieces of that Cincinnati team is still on that team but without Haddix, it doesn't work anymore.

If we look at where Haddix sits in the Reds leaderboards. His 2.57 ERA is 2nd all time (beaten out by Bill Lee's 2.55 career ERA though he's pitched 1000 less innings), his 1.87 ERA in 1906 is beaten only by Joe Nathan's 1.85 ERA in 1907. He is currently 2nd in WAR, beaten only by Boof Bonser who has 0.2 more WAR over 1000 more innings, his BB/9 of 2.0, K/9 of 5.2 and K/BB of 2.6 is best all time, as well as holding the best single season of each of those. Is 1904 to 1906 seasons are the top seasons for strikeouts, and his 1.19 career WHIP is also best in Reds history.

All time, he is 11th in career ERA, 15th in career WHIP, and 14th in career K/9.

Further Reading

• 1905 World Series: Washington Senators vs Cincinnati Reds
• 1906 World Series: Cleveland Naps vs Cincinnati Reds
• 1907: The Reds go for the Repeat
• 1908: The Year of the First (and second, and third) No-Hitter
• 1909: The Reign of the Reds is Over
• 1905 Award Winners
• 1906 Award Winners
• 1907 Award Winners

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Larry Jansen Announces Retirement






It is fitting that Jansen should retire at the same time as Haddix. Both were of the same age, debuted in their same year, Jansen won his pair of Pitcher of the Year trophies at the same time that Haddix was winning his trifecta, and both suffered UCL injuries that would end their career prematurely.

Jansen was a bit player for the Brooklyn Superbas side during 1902 and 1903, including during their successful trip to the World Series, which he missed with a shoulder injury.

He broke out in 1904 with a 24-14 record, 2.22 ERA, and 1.06 WHIP but after a down year in 1905, he was flipped to the Chicago White Sox for 2B Chippy McGarr and he started to flourish.

Jansen led the American League in ERA and WHIP for both 1906 and 1907 and took home the Pitcher of the Year award for both of those years. His 1907 highs of 0.96 WHIP was the best of all time at this point, and his 1.71 ERA would have been best of all time if it wasn't for an absurd 1.33 ERA that Albie Lopez put up over 162 innings for the Cubs in the same year.

He had a bit of a down year in 1908, but came back as his vintage self the next year before suffering his torn UCL at the end of August. Despite missing more than a month of playing time, he still finished 3rd in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Much like Haddix, he tried to mount a comeback once recovered but 1.1 innings was enough for everyone to realise he didn't have it anymore.

At the time of retirement:

• His Career ERA (2.30) is 3rd All Time
• His Career BB/9 (1.61) is 6th all time
• His Career WHIP (1.08) is best all time
• His Career OBP Allowed (.279) is Best All Time
• His Chicago White Sox ERA (2.05) is Best All Time for the Sox
• His Chicago White Sox BB/9 (1.8) is Best All Time for the Sox
• His Chicago White Sox K/BB (2.2) is Best All Time for the Sox
• His Chicago White Sox WHIP (1.04) is Best All Time for the Sox
• His Chicago White Sox Allowed Slash Line (.229/.273/.301) is Best All Time for the Sox

Further Reading

• 1906 Award Winners
• 1907 Award Winners