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April 1961 Recap
North Division
The Colonials have started very strongly and have grabbed a 3 ½ game advantage over the others (who are tightly bunched) mainly by dint of their PBL-leading +59 run differential. They are ranked at or near the top of most statistical categories and most of their big guns have been firing from the starter’s gun. Each of the other sides has been competitive and I doubt they’ll be too worried about the mini-break that has formed at this early stage. That said, they won’t want Connecticut to get much further ahead of them either.
West Division
Already it is obvious that the Los Angeles-Las Vegas rivalry will be a beauty in this division for years to come. Portland and Seattle have struggled so far, with the Rainiers’ pitching (4.78 ERA / 4.63 FIP) a real concern and the Stags’ bullpen bleeding too many runs and blowing too many games. Should this pattern continue then the West will almost certainly be a two-horse race.
South Division
The closest and most competitive of the four divisions, only two games separate the South from top to bottom and all four sides have a winning record. Suzuki and Boyer have been revelations at the top of the Pirates’ order, Aaron has decimated the pitching so far for the Firebirds, Pujols and Longoria have 10 dingers between them to this point for the Panthers, and the Blues are perhaps the most even squad in the league. So all four have legitimate claims here and this should be a fascinating race for the duration.
East Division
If early indications are anything to go by, the East will be a cakewalk for the Grays who absolutely dominated during April, going 21-6. And yet statistically it’s hard to see how, other than their team BA of .322. A +5 Pythagorean differential implies their torrid pace is somewhat unsustainable, and there’s no argument the other sides in the division have been poor so far, especially the 6-21 Fury, a team yours truly thought would be among the contenders this season. But if Washington continues to street their rivals, they just might work up a big enough lead to kill this division off before it ever gets a chance to liven up.
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