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Jiggs McGee · 06-23-2021, 01:53 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

JULY 12, 1937

A CLASSIC!

FEDS PREVAIL 4-2 IN 19 INNING ALL-STAR MARATHON

A capacity crowd of 37,592 - believed to be the most ever to attend a baseball game at Toronto's Dominion Stadium - witnessed an All-Star game that was truly worthy of the moniker classic. The fact that it took 19 innings and more than 5 hours to complete did nothing to deter the excitement of the event as the crowd was brought to it's feet in the top of the 19th inning when, after 12 scoreless innings proceeding it, the visitors from the Federal side hung a 3 spot on the board courtesy in no small part to Pittsburgh Miners third baseman Ed Stewart who delivered a 2-run homer off of losing pitcher Walt Wells of the Sailors.
While some headed for the exits after that they perhaps should not have as the Continental Association gamely battled to further extend the game as they scored once to cut the margin to 4-2 and had the bases loaded with 1 out before ultimately falling short. It was probably a good thing too as both sides were running out of pitchers. Keystone righthander George M Brooks, last man off the bench for Joe Ward's Federal side, took over on the mound in relief of Lefty Allen, who ran into trouble in his efforts to close out the win. Brooks threw just 1 pitch, as that was all the Feds needed to seal their 4th victory in 5 all-star contests, as the Keystones pitcher induced a game ending 4-6-3 double play ball out of Jack Cleaves of the cross-town Philadelphia Sailors.

Keystone reliever Don Attaway was the winning pitcher and named player of the game after he gamely threw 5 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 singles and a walk to help keep the zero's piling up on the scoreboard.

LIKE NIGHT AND DAY

He may not have had the opportunity to pitch in Toronto last week but Chicago Chiefs ace Rabbit Day is certainly looking like he is back on track after a sloppy start to the season. At the end of May things were not looking good for Day, who after a dominating 1936 season that culminated in a World Championship for the Chiefs and Day's 3rd Allan Award, the 33 year old righthander looked to be in a state of disarray. He had lost three straight decisions dropping his record to 4-4 and he was coming off possibly the worst outing of his career against Washington and one nearly as bad 5 days later in St Louis. However, a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on June 5th seemed to start the turnaround and he has gone 4-1 since with four successive strong outings. He did not get a decision in a 5-4 Chicago win over St Louis on Friday so the celebration is on hold until at least this week as Day is 1 victory shy of becoming the 46th pitcher to win 200 big league games. Chiefs skipper Joe Ward would love to see the milestone come on Wednesday when Chicago opens a big 3 game series with the Pittsburgh Miners, who trail the Chiefs by two and a half games in the standings. Each of the previous meetings this season between the clubs have resulted in series sweeps with the home side winning them all so if the current trend continues the Chiefs will widen their lead.

Another bad break for Pittsburgh - well, a sprain this time as Miners second sacker Sandy Grabow (.308,2,19) will miss at least a month with a sprained thumb. It has been one of those years for Pittsburgh as George Cleaves just returned from his second sting on the DL and slugging outfielder Mahlon Strong is done for the year after an injury plagued debut in the Steel City. This was Grabow's second lengthy injury as he just returned a few weeks ago after missing a month with a sore elbow.

The Cleveland Foresters have had great success on the road this season, except when they go to Toronto. The Foresters are now 1-4 at Dominion Stadium after the Wolves completed a 3-game sweep over the weekend. Toronto actually has been very good at home, where they are now 26-15 but the Foresters are strong on the road - posting a 24-9 record if you discount time spent in Ontario.

The Cleveland stumble allowed Brooklyn to move back to within 3 games of the Foresters as the Kings won 4 of 5 in a week interrupted by the All-Star game. Rookie pitcher Jack Goff made his big league debut and with proud papa Danny Goff, who is the Kings bench coach, watching from the dugout the 21 year went the distance allowing 10 hits in a 12-3 win over the New York Stars on Monday. Goff may head back to AAA Rochester as the Kings still struggle to find a way to fill the gaping hole left by Tom Barrell's injury. Barrell will be sidelined another month with his hamstring issues.

]

JIGGS MCGEE COMMENTARY
CROWDS KEEP COMING TO BIGSBY OVAL

Despite the fact the New York Gothams gutted a championship club just over a year ago, the club still is making out pretty well at the box office. The Gothams farm system is now loaded, there is no question of that, but New Yorkers are famous for only backing a winner and the Gothams - no matter what they may claim - are certainly not that right now. The future is bright for Bibsby's Boys but it is also the future, not the present state of affairs. Yes, the club may crow about sweeping Detroit over the weekend and winning 6 of their last 8 but they are a long ways from contention. Goiing 22-14 since June 1st did a lot to erase the bitterness some might have felt when witnessing their 11-31 start but the truth is this team is not a .500 ballclub as it sits, not matter what the last month might indicate, especially when you consider they played 13 games against Detroit and Washington during that period, against whom they went 11-2 and were 4-2 against Philadelphia. Put first division clubs on the field against New York and the Gothams were 7-10, certainly much better then the first month and a half of the season but a far cry from contention.

KING OF PINCH-HITTERS

It takes a special player to be successful as a pinch-hitter, being ready to deliver in a key situation as you come off the bench cold, but Frank Lightbody of the Brooklyn Kings seems to have mastered the art. Lightbody, who has missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury, is 8-for-17 as a pinch-hitter this season which gives him the lead in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS+.
Special mention should also go to Bill Eppler of the Philadelphia Sailors as the 28 year old has already hit 4 pinch-hit homers with the latest being a 2-run shot in the 7th inning last Monday to give the Sailors a 3-2 win over Cleveland and a split of their doubleheader. Eppler has hit 9 homeruns in his 159 games in the big leagues - five of them came pinch-hitting.

Here are the top ten sorted by OPS+ with a minimum of 20 pinch-hitting plate appearances.

QUICK HITS

Willie Gonzalez, Jr the Gothams first pick in the recent midseason draft showed up at Rock Island ready to compete. The 5-10 righthander out of Milwaukee stepped right from the high school fields to pro ball without missing a beat. In his first week Gonzalez won both starts going 16 innings, allowing 11 hits and only two runs to earn UMVA league player of the week honors.
Christian Trophy winning outfielder Alex LaComb had a solid pro debut in Class C Marshalltown of the UMVA. The national college player of the year at Cuyahoga College signed with Brooklyn for a tidy $13,000 bonus and promptly delivered at least one hit in 5 of his first 6 games and is batting .308 for the Maples.
Joe Foy is on the waiver wire as the Chiefs are looking to part ways with the 29 year old. One of my early favorites from the AIAA where he won a pair of National Titles with Opelika State and was a two-time All-American. He is one of a fairly exclusive group to win both the college World Series and a FABL WCS.
There was some talk out of Detroit that Max Morris was retiring. Age and injuries are catching up to the 42 year old Hall of Famer - he is batting just .212 this season but does have 5 homers to boost his career total to 707. Morris wanted to just concentrate on managing but with attendance up substantially at Thompson Field this season and with his presence being a big reason, Morris was convinced to play out the season.
One player who confirms he won't return is David Merchant. The 37 year old longtime Philadelphia Sailor is finishing things out as a spare part with the Chicago Chiefs this season. He has 2,053 hits in his 15 year FABL career and a pair of Whitney Awards.
A Chicago sweep for player of the week honours as the Chiefs Cliff Moss turned in a .538 week to nab the award in the Fed while the Cougars Doc Love went 9-for-19 with a homer to get the nod in the CA.
1936 first round draft pick Carl Roe tossed a no-hitter in Class B this week. The St Louis Pioneers farmhand was taken 9th overall in December out of Valley State.
Washington Eagles are enjoying a 8-2 stretch in their last 10 game... coincidence or not but SP Bill Anderson been removed from the starting rotation in this span of games. He did start in the double header with PIT and this was one of the two losses of the stretch. Anderson won 22 games a year ago but is 4-12 this season. Jack Elder and Mike Knight been sharing the starting position in Anderson's place for now.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 7/11/1937

Amelia Earhart sends SOS, plane feared down in shark infested waters of the Pacific Ocean. Rescue mission underway.
Cost for Earhart search pegged at $250,000 day says Navy & Coast Guard.
Thousands sleep on beaches as heat wave continues to blitz the northeastern United States.
Japan declares it defeated a sizeable attack from Russia in a day long battle on the disputed eastern frontier of Manchukuo and Siberia. Meanwhile Russia warns of all out war if Japanese troops do not stay out of Siberia.

06-23-2021, 01:53 PM	#183
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: July 12, 1937 THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL JULY 12, 1937 A CLASSIC! FEDS PREVAIL 4-2 IN 19 INNING ALL-STAR MARATHON A capacity crowd of 37,592 - believed to be the most ever to attend a baseball game at Toronto's Dominion Stadium - witnessed an All-Star game that was truly worthy of the moniker classic. The fact that it took 19 innings and more than 5 hours to complete did nothing to deter the excitement of the event as the crowd was brought to it's feet in the top of the 19th inning when, after 12 scoreless innings proceeding it, the visitors from the Federal side hung a 3 spot on the board courtesy in no small part to Pittsburgh Miners third baseman Ed Stewart who delivered a 2-run homer off of losing pitcher Walt Wells of the Sailors. While some headed for the exits after that they perhaps should not have as the Continental Association gamely battled to further extend the game as they scored once to cut the margin to 4-2 and had the bases loaded with 1 out before ultimately falling short. It was probably a good thing too as both sides were running out of pitchers. Keystone righthander George M Brooks, last man off the bench for Joe Ward's Federal side, took over on the mound in relief of Lefty Allen, who ran into trouble in his efforts to close out the win. Brooks threw just 1 pitch, as that was all the Feds needed to seal their 4th victory in 5 all-star contests, as the Keystones pitcher induced a game ending 4-6-3 double play ball out of Jack Cleaves of the cross-town Philadelphia Sailors. Keystone reliever Don Attaway was the winning pitcher and named player of the game after he gamely threw 5 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 singles and a walk to help keep the zero's piling up on the scoreboard. LIKE NIGHT AND DAY He may not have had the opportunity to pitch in Toronto last week but Chicago Chiefs ace Rabbit Day is certainly looking like he is back on track after a sloppy start to the season. At the end of May things were not looking good for Day, who after a dominating 1936 season that culminated in a World Championship for the Chiefs and Day's 3rd Allan Award, the 33 year old righthander looked to be in a state of disarray. He had lost three straight decisions dropping his record to 4-4 and he was coming off possibly the worst outing of his career against Washington and one nearly as bad 5 days later in St Louis. However, a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on June 5th seemed to start the turnaround and he has gone 4-1 since with four successive strong outings. He did not get a decision in a 5-4 Chicago win over St Louis on Friday so the celebration is on hold until at least this week as Day is 1 victory shy of becoming the 46th pitcher to win 200 big league games. Chiefs skipper Joe Ward would love to see the milestone come on Wednesday when Chicago opens a big 3 game series with the Pittsburgh Miners, who trail the Chiefs by two and a half games in the standings. Each of the previous meetings this season between the clubs have resulted in series sweeps with the home side winning them all so if the current trend continues the Chiefs will widen their lead. Another bad break for Pittsburgh - well, a sprain this time as Miners second sacker Sandy Grabow (.308,2,19) will miss at least a month with a sprained thumb. It has been one of those years for Pittsburgh as George Cleaves just returned from his second sting on the DL and slugging outfielder Mahlon Strong is done for the year after an injury plagued debut in the Steel City. This was Grabow's second lengthy injury as he just returned a few weeks ago after missing a month with a sore elbow. The Cleveland Foresters have had great success on the road this season, except when they go to Toronto. The Foresters are now 1-4 at Dominion Stadium after the Wolves completed a 3-game sweep over the weekend. Toronto actually has been very good at home, where they are now 26-15 but the Foresters are strong on the road - posting a 24-9 record if you discount time spent in Ontario. The Cleveland stumble allowed Brooklyn to move back to within 3 games of the Foresters as the Kings won 4 of 5 in a week interrupted by the All-Star game. Rookie pitcher Jack Goff made his big league debut and with proud papa Danny Goff, who is the Kings bench coach, watching from the dugout the 21 year went the distance allowing 10 hits in a 12-3 win over the New York Stars on Monday. Goff may head back to AAA Rochester as the Kings still struggle to find a way to fill the gaping hole left by Tom Barrell's injury. Barrell will be sidelined another month with his hamstring issues. ] JIGGS MCGEE COMMENTARY CROWDS KEEP COMING TO BIGSBY OVAL Despite the fact the New York Gothams gutted a championship club just over a year ago, the club still is making out pretty well at the box office. The Gothams farm system is now loaded, there is no question of that, but New Yorkers are famous for only backing a winner and the Gothams - no matter what they may claim - are certainly not that right now. The future is bright for Bibsby's Boys but it is also the future, not the present state of affairs. Yes, the club may crow about sweeping Detroit over the weekend and winning 6 of their last 8 but they are a long ways from contention. Goiing 22-14 since June 1st did a lot to erase the bitterness some might have felt when witnessing their 11-31 start but the truth is this team is not a .500 ballclub as it sits, not matter what the last month might indicate, especially when you consider they played 13 games against Detroit and Washington during that period, against whom they went 11-2 and were 4-2 against Philadelphia. Put first division clubs on the field against New York and the Gothams were 7-10, certainly much better then the first month and a half of the season but a far cry from contention. KING OF PINCH-HITTERS It takes a special player to be successful as a pinch-hitter, being ready to deliver in a key situation as you come off the bench cold, but Frank Lightbody of the Brooklyn Kings seems to have mastered the art. Lightbody, who has missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury, is 8-for-17 as a pinch-hitter this season which gives him the lead in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS+. Special mention should also go to Bill Eppler of the Philadelphia Sailors as the 28 year old has already hit 4 pinch-hit homers with the latest being a 2-run shot in the 7th inning last Monday to give the Sailors a 3-2 win over Cleveland and a split of their doubleheader. Eppler has hit 9 homeruns in his 159 games in the big leagues - five of them came pinch-hitting. Here are the top ten sorted by OPS+ with a minimum of 20 pinch-hitting plate appearances. QUICK HITS Willie Gonzalez, Jr the Gothams first pick in the recent midseason draft showed up at Rock Island ready to compete. The 5-10 righthander out of Milwaukee stepped right from the high school fields to pro ball without missing a beat. In his first week Gonzalez won both starts going 16 innings, allowing 11 hits and only two runs to earn UMVA league player of the week honors. Christian Trophy winning outfielder Alex LaComb had a solid pro debut in Class C Marshalltown of the UMVA. The national college player of the year at Cuyahoga College signed with Brooklyn for a tidy $13,000 bonus and promptly delivered at least one hit in 5 of his first 6 games and is batting .308 for the Maples. Joe Foy is on the waiver wire as the Chiefs are looking to part ways with the 29 year old. One of my early favorites from the AIAA where he won a pair of National Titles with Opelika State and was a two-time All-American. He is one of a fairly exclusive group to win both the college World Series and a FABL WCS. There was some talk out of Detroit that Max Morris was retiring. Age and injuries are catching up to the 42 year old Hall of Famer - he is batting just .212 this season but does have 5 homers to boost his career total to 707. Morris wanted to just concentrate on managing but with attendance up substantially at Thompson Field this season and with his presence being a big reason, Morris was convinced to play out the season. One player who confirms he won't return is David Merchant. The 37 year old longtime Philadelphia Sailor is finishing things out as a spare part with the Chicago Chiefs this season. He has 2,053 hits in his 15 year FABL career and a pair of Whitney Awards. A Chicago sweep for player of the week honours as the Chiefs Cliff Moss turned in a .538 week to nab the award in the Fed while the Cougars Doc Love went 9-for-19 with a homer to get the nod in the CA. 1936 first round draft pick Carl Roe tossed a no-hitter in Class B this week. The St Louis Pioneers farmhand was taken 9th overall in December out of Valley State. Washington Eagles are enjoying a 8-2 stretch in their last 10 game... coincidence or not but SP Bill Anderson been removed from the starting rotation in this span of games. He did start in the double header with PIT and this was one of the two losses of the stretch. Anderson won 22 games a year ago but is 4-12 this season. Jack Elder and Mike Knight been sharing the starting position in Anderson's place for now. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 7/11/1937 Amelia Earhart sends SOS, plane feared down in shark infested waters of the Pacific Ocean. Rescue mission underway. Cost for Earhart search pegged at $250,000 day says Navy & Coast Guard. Thousands sleep on beaches as heat wave continues to blitz the northeastern United States. Japan declares it defeated a sizeable attack from Russia in a day long battle on the disputed eastern frontier of Manchukuo and Siberia. Meanwhile Russia warns of all out war if Japanese troops do not stay out of Siberia. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 06-23-2021 at 02:18 PM.