[abell1198]

In yet another decade of Yankee domination, the American League 1950's Division has a good race going, unlike it's National League counterpart. The American League is led by the 1952 New York Yankees at 49-33. The team is 3rd in the AL in runs scored with 438 and is currently ranked 15th in defense. The '52 Yankees 2-3-4 punch looks like this:

DH Gene Woodling .313, 14 HR, 56 RBI
CF Mickey Mantle .291, 16 HR, 62 RBI
C Yogi Berra .303, 13 HR, 62 RBI

The starting pitching top three is just as dominating:

SP Eddie Lopat 11-1, 2.81 ERA
SP Vic Raschi 10-4, 3.28 ERA
SP Allie Reynolds 7-3, 2.45 ERA

The Yankees went 16-9 in June and held onto 1st place. Woodling is tied for 3rd in the AL in runs scored with 74. The pitching is 17th overall with a 3.27 ERA. Raschi made news for the club on June 6 with an 8-0 win over the 1908 Detroit Tigers (29-33). Raschi allowed only two hits in the game, while striking out five and walking four.

Two teams are tied for second place, only one game behind the lead at 48-34. The 1954 Cleveland Indians are led by 2B Bobby Avila's .299 batting average. Interestingly enough, the Indians only have 3 stolen bases on the year!! But pitching is what leads this team, with the starting pitchers ranked 3rd in the AL, while the entire staff ranks 7th as a whole. SP Early Wynn leads the pitchers at 10-4, 2.22 ERA. However, it was SP Bob Feller (8-7, 2.72 ERA) making the papers for the team on June 20 after a 1-0 win over the 1937 New York Yankees (35-40). Feller held the Yankees to three hits, struck out six and walked one. The second team in the tie are the 1958 New York Yankees. C Elston Howard (.308, 8 HR, 37 RBI), CF Mickey Mantle (.271, 20 HR, 50 RBI) and RF Yogi Berra (.296, 19 HR, 75 RBI) lead the team at the plate. SP Bobby Shantz (9-3, 2.15 ERA) is the team's top pitcher. The Yankees had a great month, posting a 19-6 record in June to move up three games into second place. Howard made headlines on two occasions this month. On June 5, Howard went 6 for 6 with five singles and a double in a 15-6 rout of the 1944 St. Louis Browns (31-30). On June 18, Howard again went 6 for 6, this time against the 1955 New York Yankees (39-34). The '58 squad defeated the '55 team 15-5, as Howard hit for the cycle. Joining Howard in the headlines that day was 1B Bill Skowron (.255, 5 HR, 35 RBI). Skowron was 5 for 6 in that game, with three singles and two doubles.

In fourth place are the 1953 New York Yankees at 46-36, 3 GB. CF Mickey Mantle leads the team at .296, 16 HR, 62 RBI. SP Vic Raschi is 9-5 with a 2.37 ERA, while SP Johnny Sain is 8-3 with a 2.39 ERA. The pitching staff is ranked 14th in the AL.

The 1957 New York Yankees find themselves at 44-38, 5 GB after being tied for 1st place at the end of May. The '57 squad went 11-14 in June and were swept by the 1934 Detroit Tigers and 1946 Boston Red Sox. DH Mickey Mantle (.333, 14 HR, 46 RBI) and 1B Bill Skowron (.325, 16 HR, 72 RBI) lead the lineup. Mantle is currently ranked 2nd in the AL in OBP at .481. SP Bob Turley leads the pitching staff at 11-4, 3.34 ERA.

In six place are the 1955 New York Yankees at 41-41, 8 GB. 2B Gil McDougald is hitting .300. The pitching is 75th in the AL with a 4.57 ERA. The '55 Yanks are currently on a four game losing streak and have lost six of their last seven.

The 1951 New York Yankees are in seventh place at 39-43, 10 GB. The team has no .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Vic Raschi is 8-7 with a 3.20 ERA, while SP Johnny Sain is somehow 11-4 with his 4.10 ERA. Raschi made news for the team on June 5 with an 8-0 win over the 1907 Detroit Tigers (25-36). Raschi struck out 12, while allowing five hits and walking two.

In eighth place are the 1950 New York Yankees at 38-44, 11 GB. DH Johnny Hopp is hitting .318, while two other Yankee players are hitting over .300. Hopp had a 20 game hit streak end on June 29. SP Allie Reynolds is 8-5 with a 3.14 ERA, while SP Vic Raschi is 9-6 with a 3.80 ERA. Raschi made news for the club on June 30 with a 7-0 win over the 1927 New York Yankees (55-27). Raschi held the '27 team to only two hits, while striking out 16 and walking four.

The 1956 New York Yankees are in ninth place at 28-54, 21 GB. The '56 squad is led by LF Lou Skizas (.298, 9 HR, 37 RBI), CF Mickey Mantle (.291, 23 HR, 52 RBI) and 1B Bill Skowron (.290, 8 HR, 52 RBI). The Yankees pitching is ranked 96th in the AL, with a 5.09 ERA. RF Enos Slaughter (.267, 1 HR, 32 RBI) made the headlines on June 1 when he went 5 for 5 in a 14-4 win over the 1959 Chicago White Sox (19-39). Slaughter had four singles and a double.

Speaking of the 1959 Chicago White Sox, they are in last place at 25-57, 24 GB. Not much to say here. They hit .239 at the plate (101st in the AL) and the pitching is ranked 91st with a 4.93 ERA. The team did make headlines on back-to-back days. On June 26, LF Bubba Phillips (.295, 2 HR, 36 RBI) went 5 for 7 in a 13-10 loss (14 Innings) to the 1926 New York Yankees (37-41). Phillips had four doubles and a single in the game. On June 27, CF Jim Landis (.278, 3 HR, 32 RBI) went 6 for 6 in a 10-8 win over the 1984 Detroit Tigers (43-36). Landis hit four singles, a double and a home run.

The National League 1950's Division is a tad less competitive. The 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers have a six game lead with a 49-33 record. The Dodgers are 1st in the NL in home runs (112) and runs scored (462). They are also 4th in the NL in average at .285. Check out this lineup, 1-6:

LF Jackie Robinson .337, 7 HR, 34 RBI
1B Gil Hodges .289, 26 HR, 61 RBI
CF Duke Snider .306, 22 HR, 59 RBI
C Roy Campanella .319, 14 HR, 61 RBI
RF Carl Furillo .332, 15 HR, 58 RBI
3B Billy Cox .305, 7 HR, 44 RBI

Robinson made headlines on June 9 when he hit for the cycle (4 for 5) during a 15-8 win over the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates (26-39).

SP Carl Erskine is 10-3 with a 2.22 ERA and won the NL Pitcher of the Month award after finishing June 5-0. Erskine pitched 36 innings, struck out 40, had a 1.25 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .215 average.

In second place are the 1951 New York Giants at 43-39, 6 GB. The Giants are tied for 10th in the NL in home runs with 87. 1B Monte Irvin (.300, 20 HR, 54 RBI) and SS Al Dark (.299, 13 HR, 40 RBI) lead the team at the plate. Dark is leading the Majors with 37 doubles and is 1st in the NL with 78 runs scored. SP Sal Maglie (7-4, 2.27 ERA) and SP Larry Jansen (6-6, 2.66 ERA) lead the pitching staff. Maglie made the news on June 6 after a 4-2 win over the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers (35-27). Maglie scattered six hits, struck out 15 batters and walked two. SP Al Corwin (6-5, 4.30 ERA) also made headlines for the team on June 28 in a 5-0 win over the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals (43-37). Corwin held the Cards to five hits, struck out six and walked one.

The 1954 New York Giants are in third place at 39-43, 10 GB. CF Willie Mays is the star of the club. Mays is hitting .340 with 26 home runs and 59 RBI. Mays collected two NL Player of the Week awards this month and also won the NL Top Batter Award for June. Mays hit .453 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI for the month. Mays is currently ranked 2nd in the NL in total bases (211), 3rd in slugging (.696) and is tied for 3rd in home runs. SP Jim Hearn leads the pitchers with a 6-5 record and 3.19 ERA.

In fourth place are the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers at 38-44, 11 GB. CF Duke Snider is the leading hitter with a .295 average, 21 home runs and 64 RBI. The pitching is ranked 98th in the NL with a 4.54 ERA.

The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers are in fifth place at 37-45, 12 GB. The '55 Dodgers are 8th in the NL in OBP (.347) and home runs (91). They are ranked 5th in slugging at .438. C Roy Campanella (.345, 19 HR, 47 RBI), CF Duke Snider (.322, 18 HR, 64 RBI) and 1B Gil Hodges (.305, 17 HR, 47 RBI) lead the team's lineup. Unfortunately for them, their pitching staff is ranked 101st in the NL with a 4.68 ERA. SS Pee Wee Reese made headlines for the club on June 25 after going 5 for 5 in a 12-4 win over the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers (45-32). Reese had four singles and a home run in the game.

Two teams are tied for sixth in the division at 36-46, 13 GB. The first team is the 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers are ranked 7th in the NL in home runs with 92. 3B Andy Pafko (.332, 15 HR, 41 RBI), C Roy Campanella (.311, 18 HR, 63 RBI) and 2B Jackie Robinson (.308, 11 HR, 33 RBI) lead the team at the plate. Pitching, however, is ranked 105th in the NL with a 4.94 ERA. The second team is the 1958 Milwaukee Braves. The Braves are led by RF Hank Aaron (.334, 14 HR, 60 RBI) and LF Wes Covington (.315, 18 HR, 58 RBI) at the plate, while SP Bob Rush (9-8, 3.14 ERA) is tops on the mound.

In eighth place are the 1957 Milwaukee Braves at 31-51, 18 GB. The Braves have no .300 hitters and are currently ranked 103rd in the NL in average (.235) and 107th in OBP (.291). SP Warren Spahn is 6-10 with a 2.75 ERA. SP Bob Buhl (4-8, 3.03 ERA) made headlines on June 18 with a 6-0 win over the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates (29-44). Buhl allowed five hits, struck out six and walked one in the contest.

The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies are in ninth place at 28-54, 21 GB. There are no .300 hitters on the team, but CF Richie Ashburn is close at .297. The pitching staff is 104th in the NL with a 4.93 ERA.

In last place are the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers at 26-56, 23 GB. RF Duke Snider leads the team in hitting with a .312 average, 15 HR and 45 RBI. Snider made the press on June 24 after going 6 for 6 in a 12-2 win over the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates (37-39). Snider hit four singles, a double and a home run. SP Sandy Koufax is 7-7 with a 4.62 ERA on a pitching staff ranked 106th in the NL (5.05 ERA).