We start the new month in positive fashion, winning 8 of our first 10, including a really good road sweep of the Jints.
In the middle of this, I pull the trigger on my first trade of the season, righting a wrong from the 1903 Draft.
TRADE 1 OF 5: (06/08): IF Charles Moran, OF Danny Hoffman and pitchers Joe Corbett and Tad Quinn traded to Cleveland for IF / OF Rabbit Robinson.
Rabbit was the player I wanted when we got Moran, but as you might remember went a pick or two before our turn. He gives us all different kinds of options but will start first of all at 2B until Murphy returns, then most likely kick around as our #1 fill-in. Cannell, as I said earlier, kind of made Hoffman redundant. The two pitchers were unlikely to ever see action. The price was perhaps a tad steep, but I don’t think by all that much in the grand scheme of things. I guess time will – as always – be the arbiter of this.
I also activate Howie Camnitz, no point in him rotting on the RR vine.
We then set about the mid-season business of grinding out wins.
We get one of the club’s best-ever pitching performances from Frank Owen during this period when he one-hits the Phillies in a 5-0 win, fanning 6.
We finally get Murphy back after a couple setbacks, just in time, too, as Robinson hasn’t done much at all in his absence.
A nice three-of-four flourish against the Baby Bears in our final series for the month gives us a 16-8 sectional and puts us at 36-30, a game behind Boston.
I’m pretty happy with that. We are still playing nowhere near our potential with as many bad things going on as good, but the lads’ endeavour cannot be faulted and that’s all I ask for. Perhaps the best sign of how we are turning things around is our run diff: -4 at end May, now +26.
Hot - Honus Wagner: scorching first half, but cooled off late and we need him to nip that in the bud. Still nabbed another monthly hitter award to add to the vast collection.
- Charlie Hickman: not hot per se, but a 280 June with 11 RBI at least means he is showing signs of defrosting after his early-season journey to Antarctica.
- Deacon Phillippe: has been our rock all season so far and June’s 5-0 / 1.92 / 1.9 WAR effort is no different. His 12 wins are equal best in either league.
- Mike O’Neill / Frank Owen: a combined 7-2 for the month and both with ERAs around 1.50.
Not- Billy Maloney: really struggling to impose himself this year, and hits just 158 for June.
- Jack Chesbro: a 2-4 / 2.86 June perhaps makes this designation a little harsh, especially given his FIP- of 89 for the month, but we expect more from Jack than we are presently getting.
Around the Leagues- A simply fascinating 1904 to this point, and both divisions are still anyone’s to win. Just 3 ½ games separate top from fifth in both the AL and NL.
- The Naps’ 15-game win streak early in the month shows they mean business after a lean start to their MLB existence, and they trail the A’s by just the solitary game in the junior circuit.
Awards- 06/06 POTW: AL – Addie Joss (Cleveland) 3-0 / 0.95 / 10 K / 19 IP; NL – Noodles Hahn (Cincinnati) 2-0 / 0.57 / 3 K / 15.2 IP.
- 06/13 POTW: AL – Doc Gessler (New York) 455 / 1 RBI; NL – Honus Wagner (Pittsburgh) 500 / 8 RBI.
- 06/20 POTW: AL – Ed Walsh (Chicago) 2-0 / 0.00 / 11 K / 18 IP; NL – Shad Barry (New York) 526 / 5 RBI.
- 06/27 POTW: AL – Bill Bradley (Cleveland) 500 / 3 RBI; NL – Harry Lumley (Brooklyn) 450 / 1 HR / 4 RBI.
- AL Batter of the Month: Nap Lajoie (Philadelphia) 360 / 1 HR / 26 RBI.
- NL Batter of the Month: Honus Wagner (Pittsburgh) 307 / 2 HR / 16 RBI.
- AL Pitcher of the Month: Addie Joss (Cleveland) 6-2 / 2.04 / 22 K / 66.1 IP.
- NL Pitcher of the Month: Bill Donovan (Brooklyn) 6-2 / 2.09 / 46 K / 69 IP.
- AL Rookie of the Month: Jack Pfiester (Washington) 5-0 / 1.55 / 19 K / 46.1 IP.
- NL Rookie of the Month: Hooks Wiltse (Boston) 4-2 / 2.04 / 49 K / 61.2 IP.
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