A couple of strong moves in June as each league seems to be splitting into two distinct halves: contenders and also-rans.
In the AL, the Athletics go 19-6 for the month to pull 1½ games ahead of the White Stockings, with the Blues 4 further in arrears. Led by the hot bats of Glenn Wilson and George Moriarty, the A’s have come to be known as the “Kings of Clutch”, with a remarkable 19-5 record in one-run games for the season so far. Of the other teams, the Brewers, Tigers and Senators are barely hanging on and the O’s and Americans can start looking to next year.
In the NL, the Cards continue their surge and sit atop the standings by 2 games from the Orphans, who look like running away with it early in the month before cooling off dramatically. This league is a little more bunched but teams such as the Giants and Phillies cannot afford to lose any more ground on the leaders.
Notable Performances- 5th: Warren Hacker leads the Phillies to a 4-0 win over the Pirates with a 4-hit masterpiece, while a dramatic 9th inning home run by the Americans’ Terry Moore can’t stop them losing it in the 13th on a Don Mattingly (sneaky bugger!) walkoff single.
- 8th: A wild old afternoon in Philly sees 27 runs (including 10 in the 9th by Detroit), 36 hits and 12 errors as the A’s outlast the Tigers 14-13. Ed Head gives up 12 runs (although just 3 of them were earned) and 19 hits over 8+ to get one of the odder victories you’ll see.
- 9th: Giants 2B Steve Lombardozzi helps himself to 5 hits and 3 RBI as his side romps to a 21-4 demolition of the Reds, who don’t help things by making 8 misplays in the field.
- 17th: Chris Coghlan puts on a hitting clinic with a 5-for-5 / double / 2 triples / 4 RBI, leading his Brewers to a 12-9 victory over the Orioles.
- 26th: A Mike McCormick 4-hit shutout leads the slumping O’s to a much needed 8-0 win over the Americans.
Feats and Streaks- 6th: Nooks Logan finally goes hitless, ending his consecutive streak at an amazing 36 games. He doesn’t seem too bothered, going 4-for-4 with 2 trips and 3 ribbies the next day.
Monthly Awards
American League- Batter: Glenn Wilson PHA (.462 / 1 HR / 22 RBI)
- Pitcher: Steve Cooke PHA (4-0 / 2.33 / 3 K)
- Rookie: Glenn Wilson
National League- Batter: Derek Jeter NYG (.396 / 0 HR / 22 RBI)
- Pitcher: Bubba Church NYG (6-0 / 1.72 / 1 K)
- Rookie: Bubba Church
Leaders
American League- BA: Manny Mota CLE .441
- HR: 3 tied on 2
- RBI: Mike Benjamin CWS 56
- BWAR: Mike Benjamin CWS 3.5
- SB: Damian Jackson PHA 38
- W: 3 tied on 9
- ERA: Chris Codiroli BLA 2.40
- K: Charley Schanz MLA 12
- SV: Terry Forster MLA 8
- PWAR: Ed Head PHA 2.2
National League- BA: Lenny Randle PHI .411
- HR: Charley James STL 3
- RBI: 2 tied on 53
- BWAR: Nook Logan BRO 3.5
- SB: Nook Logan BRO 43
- W: Ray Phelps CHC 13
- ERA: John Halama CHC 2.09
- K: James Baldwin NY1 25
- SV: Mike Marshall CIN 6
- PWAR: Ben Cantwell BRO 2.7
Transactions- 27th: The Orphans trade SS John McDonald and LF Marty Keough to the Tigers for 34-year old SP Wilbur Wood.
- 30th: A pair of trades on the last day of the month. The Superbas send C Tom Haller to the Blues for SS Daryl Spencer, while Pittsburgh ship 3B Eddie Joost to the Phillies, getting 3B Abraham Nunez and RF Bombo Rivera in return.
Injuries- 2nd: A fractured finger sidelines Tigers 2B Sam Mertes for 6 weeks. A setback during his recovery extends this by 3 months.
- 6th: The Americans lose CF Cy Seymour for a month after he sprains an ankle running the bases.
- 12th: The Americans (SP Allen Watson; oblique strain) and Tigers (CF Milt Cuyler; hamstring) both lose key players for 5 weeks.
- 16th: The Phillies lose 1st-round pick SP Steve Blass for the season with a torn labrum.
- 18th: SP King Cole of the Orphans will miss up to 3 months with a hamstring injury.
- 24th: The Americans lose another member of their rotation when Stan Williams goes down with a torn labrum and will be out for 2 months.
- 27th: The Blues lose LF Mark Brouhard for the season to a broken hand suffered making a defensive play.
- 28th: Dom Dallessandro of the Reds strains an oblique chasing his dog and will be out for 6 weeks.
Life in a Minor Key (news from the lower levels)- 5th: Gary Peters pitches 10+ innings and goes 2-4 with a 3-run HR and still his Williamsport Grays lose 4-3 to the Wilmington Pirates.
- 11th: Bob Harmon of the Houston Buffaloes pitches a 12-inning 4-hit shutout in his side’s 1-0 win over the Cedar Rapids Bunnies on a day every NPSL game is decided by one run.
- 14th: A day for the hurlers as Buck Farmer of the Hazleton Mountaineers one-hits the Bunnies in a 2-0 win (he would add to it with a 3-hitter later in the month), the Wilmington Pirates beat the Joplin Miners 2-0 behind a Pol Perritt 3-hit beauty, and a single run is enough for the Fort Worth Panthers to get past the Shreveport Gassers thanks to Jackie Brown’s 5-hit shutout.
- 17th: Jerry Augustine of the Panthers no-hits the Miners for 7+ innings before succumbing to an injury and being forced from the game.
- 19th: The Bears’ Jeremy Sowers dominates the Gassers in a one-hit master class.
- 22nd: Hitters again have few answers as Reading’s Allen Benson one-hits the Bridgeport Bees, Casey Fossum of the Harrisburg Senators keeps the Wichita Falls Spudders to just two hits and Shreveport’s Pat Rapp gives up just 3 hits over 10 shutout innings.
Standings