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Nick Soulis · 05-16-2022, 10:04 AM

PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #118
1913 Chicago Cubs (88-65) vs 2001 Minnesota Twins (85-77)

Age was catching up a bit on the Cubs of 1913 but they were still considered among the top contenders every season for the pennant. Player manager Johnny Evers brought the winning mentality and emphasized defense and nose to the grindstone baseball. Evers was still the everyday shortstop hitting .285 with 20 doubles and 81 runs while playing his usual fine defense. Al Birdwell had taken over for the long gone Tinker and wasn't as fleet of foot as well as only hitting .240 with only 35 runs scored. Vic Saier hit an outstanding 21 triples with 14 home runs and 15 doubles making him one of the most effective players in the national league and he was yet another bat from the leftside at first base. The third baseman Heinie Zimmerman was turning into a star hitting .313 with 95 RBI and 18 steals; he also lead the offense in WAR and OPS+. Tommy LEacg was 35 years old but his experience hadn't slowed him down much as he stole 21 bases with a team leading 99 runs and a .391 OBP. Centerfielder Frank Schulte also stole 21 bases with 28 doubles and nine home runs with 205 total bases. In right, Mike Mitchell played in half the games hitting .262 and his platoon mate from the leftside Ward Miller hit only .236 leaving the position a little light. At catcher Jimmy Archer had taken over the role with 98 hits and 44 RBI with Roger Bresnahan slowing down at 34 and hitting only .228 with his best days long past. Art Phelan added 11 doubles in the pinch and Cy Williams did his best to lend a helping hand off the bench. The great Chicago pitching was maybe not a s great as it used to be, but the Cubs could still stifle most offenses. Larry Cheney won 21 games in 36 starts and entered another 18 in relief. He had a 2.57 ERA and struck out a nice 136 batters but did throw 19 wild pitches. Bert Humphries went an impressive 16-4 with a 2.69 ERA and 1.066 WHIP having the type of year few expected from him. George Pearce had the lowest ERA on the team at 2.30 with 3 shutouts and striking out 4 per nine innings to add to the strength of the staff. Charlie Smith went 7-9 in his 19 starts with a 123 ERA+ while the legend Orval Overall was slowing down at 32 years old as he was hit hard with a 3.84 ERA in only 68 innings. Jimmy Lavender also threw for over 200 innings and 40 games in total, 20 of them as a starter but wasn't excellent with a 3.62. A very interesting final piece was 25 year old Hippo Vaughn who had a 1.45 ERA in six starts with electric stuff; we will see if he is used in this series. Chicago is still a good club that should give any team trouble no matter what the era.

Tom Kelly still had the Twins playing good baseball in 2001 and before Moneyball took full effect, the Twins were an organization that found winners on a limited budget and team baseball; not much unlike the Cubs. Joe Mays won 17 games and lead the team in WAR for a nice season while Brad Radke had his usual season with an ERA of 3.94 but all the intangibles that fans loved as he won 15 games and battled through every inning he threw. Also a 15 game winner was Eric Milton who threw from the left side but did allow a stunning 35 home runs for his 4.59 FIP. Kyle Lohse was only 22 years old and really struggled in 90 innings of work with a 5.16 FIP. Rick Reed made his contribution at 36 years old with 12 starts but almost no missed bats and a lot of hard contact. JC Romero made 11 starts with an ERA over 6 that says it all. The Twins pen was a real problem as LaTroy Hawkins had one of his worst seasons saving 28 games but seeing his ERA close in on 6 he couldn't be counted on. Eddie Gaurdado took over in the role and made 12 saves but he also has his cringe worthy moments. Hector Carrasco and Travis Miller were two more arms that didnt impress and added to the vulnerability of the Twins in close games. The Twins offense was quite good and had contact hitters who sprayed line drives to all fields. The team also had a 25 year old DH without a position named David Ortiz who hit 18 home runs with a .234 average and obviously wasn't going to amount to anything. Watch Big Papi when the game is one the line. Jacque Jones and especially Torri Hunter were dynamic defensive players that made the Twins defense stellar. Hunter hit .306 with 92 RBI and a team lead with 27 home runs. Jones hit 14 with a .276 average and 25 doubles. Matt Lawton made up the other side of the outfield driving in 51 runs with 19 steals with a sneaky 120 OPS+. Doug Mientkiewicz added to the fine defense with a gold glove performance at first base and at the plate showing an .851 OPS with 39 doubles. Luis Rivas stole 31 bases and added to the excitement of a very fast team hitting .266 while shortstop Christin Guzmnan had 25 steals and 14 triples while scoring 80 runs. Corey Koskie always seemed to make the most of his chances and scored 100 runs while driving in 103 and 26 home runs; he added 27 steals to reaffirm his value to the team. All of this and then a catcher who was both loved and hated throughout the league in AJ Pierzynski. AJ hit .289 with 55 RBI and 33 doubles all while controlling the pitching staff well and playing harder then anyone in the league. Denny Hocking was the foil infielder off the bench with limited upside and Brian Buchanan hit 10 home runs with 12 doubles as a nice pinch hitter for the club. In many ways this Twins team could remind someone of the clubs of old like their opponents the Cubs. Look for a very hard nosed series with great defense and minimal mental mistakes. The Twins pen could be a deal breaker, but the storylines in both dugouts are quite fascinating.

Game 1 At West Side Grounds
Partly cloudy 54
2001 Twins...................5
1913 Cubs....................2 (10 inn)
WP: B. Radke (1-0) LP: C. Hendrix (0-1)
HR: None
POG: Brad Radke
2001 Twins lead series 1-0
The 1913 Cubs were losing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth thanks to an outstanding start by Brad Radke. The Cubs rallied in the 9th however to tie the score after Al Birdwell singled in the 2nd run. The Twins redeemed their pitcher by putting 3 on the board in the 10th with the bog blow being a Denny Hocking 2 run triple. Radke goes 10 innings striking out three and walking six.

Game 2 At West Side Grounds
Partly cloudy 53
2001 Twins.....................8
1913 Cubs......................1
WP: E. Milton (1-0) LP: O. Overall (0-1)
HR: None
POG: Eric Milton
2001 Twins lead series 2-0
Another strong pitching performance for the Twins as Eric Milton held down the Cubs to one earned runs and only five hits while striking out five. Denny Hocking had another big game at the dish going 3-5 and driving in 3 runs as the Twins scored 4 runs in the 8th and 3 more in the ninth. The series now heads to the Metrodome where one would think the Twins have a great chance to end this series.

Game 3 At Metrodome
Indoors
1913 Cubs.....................6
2001 Twins....................3
WP: J. Lavender (1-0) LP: J. Romero (0-1)
HR: T. Leach (1), F. Schulte (1)
POG: Frank Schulte
2001 Twins lead series 2-1
Frank Schulte got the biggest hit of the series for the Cubs with a three run home run off JC Romero in the third inning that would be the difference in the game. Jimmy Lavender walked six over nine innings and struck out four and allowed three earned runs.

Game 4 At Metrodome
Indoors
1913 Cubs.......................3
2001 Twins......................2
WP: C. Hendrix (1-1) LP: B. Radke (1-1)
HR: None
POG: Claude Hendrix
Series tied at 2
The road team wins again as the Cubs have made the Metrodome a nice venue for them this time clipping the Twins behind the good outing by Claude Hendrix. Hendrix struck out six and walked only one to beat Brad Radke and get some payback for game one. Cather Jimmy Archer came through with the big hit in the 8th inning to break a 2-2 tie and set Chicago up for the series tie.

Game 5 At Metrodome
Indoors
1913 Cubs......................3
2001 Twins.....................2
WP: O. Overall (1-1) LP: E. Milton (1-1)
HR: C. Guzman (1), T. Leach (2)
POG: Orval Overall
1913 Cubs lead series 3-2
No one would have expected it but the Cubs win all three games inside the Metrodome and take game 5 by the slimmest of margins. Chicago only had 5 hits to Minnesota's 12 but they built a 3-0 lead as Tommy Leach went 2-5 with 2 RBI and a first inning home run. Overall walked two and struck out four in his 146 pitch effort but was resilient enough to get the crucial win.

Game 6 At West Side Grounds
Partly cloudy 48
2001 Twins.....................2
1913 Cubs......................3
WP: J. Lavender (2-0) LP: J. Romero (0-2)
HR: J. Evers (1)
POG: Jimmy Lavender
An error and an eventual wild pitch ends this series and scores the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs win their fourth game in a row completely changing the tide. as Jimmy Lavender only allowed two earned runs despite walking five. AJ Pyrzinski tied the game in the 8th inning with a clutch double but manager Johhny Evers had a good game hitting a rare home run and driving in 2 runs. JC Romero just couldnt hold the game late.

1913 Chicago Cubs Win Series 4 Games To 2

Series MVP:
Name: 1 - 118 MVP.png
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Name: 1 - 118 MVP.png
Views: 769
Size: 81.5 KB

Tommy Leach
(.455, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, .500 OBP)

05-16-2022, 10:04 AM	#11
Nick Soulis Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago IL Posts: 4,288	Series #118 PRELIMINARY ROUND Series #118 1913 Chicago Cubs (88-65) vs 2001 Minnesota Twins (85-77) Age was catching up a bit on the Cubs of 1913 but they were still considered among the top contenders every season for the pennant. Player manager Johnny Evers brought the winning mentality and emphasized defense and nose to the grindstone baseball. Evers was still the everyday shortstop hitting .285 with 20 doubles and 81 runs while playing his usual fine defense. Al Birdwell had taken over for the long gone Tinker and wasn't as fleet of foot as well as only hitting .240 with only 35 runs scored. Vic Saier hit an outstanding 21 triples with 14 home runs and 15 doubles making him one of the most effective players in the national league and he was yet another bat from the leftside at first base. The third baseman Heinie Zimmerman was turning into a star hitting .313 with 95 RBI and 18 steals; he also lead the offense in WAR and OPS+. Tommy LEacg was 35 years old but his experience hadn't slowed him down much as he stole 21 bases with a team leading 99 runs and a .391 OBP. Centerfielder Frank Schulte also stole 21 bases with 28 doubles and nine home runs with 205 total bases. In right, Mike Mitchell played in half the games hitting .262 and his platoon mate from the leftside Ward Miller hit only .236 leaving the position a little light. At catcher Jimmy Archer had taken over the role with 98 hits and 44 RBI with Roger Bresnahan slowing down at 34 and hitting only .228 with his best days long past. Art Phelan added 11 doubles in the pinch and Cy Williams did his best to lend a helping hand off the bench. The great Chicago pitching was maybe not a s great as it used to be, but the Cubs could still stifle most offenses. Larry Cheney won 21 games in 36 starts and entered another 18 in relief. He had a 2.57 ERA and struck out a nice 136 batters but did throw 19 wild pitches. Bert Humphries went an impressive 16-4 with a 2.69 ERA and 1.066 WHIP having the type of year few expected from him. George Pearce had the lowest ERA on the team at 2.30 with 3 shutouts and striking out 4 per nine innings to add to the strength of the staff. Charlie Smith went 7-9 in his 19 starts with a 123 ERA+ while the legend Orval Overall was slowing down at 32 years old as he was hit hard with a 3.84 ERA in only 68 innings. Jimmy Lavender also threw for over 200 innings and 40 games in total, 20 of them as a starter but wasn't excellent with a 3.62. A very interesting final piece was 25 year old Hippo Vaughn who had a 1.45 ERA in six starts with electric stuff; we will see if he is used in this series. Chicago is still a good club that should give any team trouble no matter what the era. Tom Kelly still had the Twins playing good baseball in 2001 and before Moneyball took full effect, the Twins were an organization that found winners on a limited budget and team baseball; not much unlike the Cubs. Joe Mays won 17 games and lead the team in WAR for a nice season while Brad Radke had his usual season with an ERA of 3.94 but all the intangibles that fans loved as he won 15 games and battled through every inning he threw. Also a 15 game winner was Eric Milton who threw from the left side but did allow a stunning 35 home runs for his 4.59 FIP. Kyle Lohse was only 22 years old and really struggled in 90 innings of work with a 5.16 FIP. Rick Reed made his contribution at 36 years old with 12 starts but almost no missed bats and a lot of hard contact. JC Romero made 11 starts with an ERA over 6 that says it all. The Twins pen was a real problem as LaTroy Hawkins had one of his worst seasons saving 28 games but seeing his ERA close in on 6 he couldn't be counted on. Eddie Gaurdado took over in the role and made 12 saves but he also has his cringe worthy moments. Hector Carrasco and Travis Miller were two more arms that didnt impress and added to the vulnerability of the Twins in close games. The Twins offense was quite good and had contact hitters who sprayed line drives to all fields. The team also had a 25 year old DH without a position named David Ortiz who hit 18 home runs with a .234 average and obviously wasn't going to amount to anything. Watch Big Papi when the game is one the line. Jacque Jones and especially Torri Hunter were dynamic defensive players that made the Twins defense stellar. Hunter hit .306 with 92 RBI and a team lead with 27 home runs. Jones hit 14 with a .276 average and 25 doubles. Matt Lawton made up the other side of the outfield driving in 51 runs with 19 steals with a sneaky 120 OPS+. Doug Mientkiewicz added to the fine defense with a gold glove performance at first base and at the plate showing an .851 OPS with 39 doubles. Luis Rivas stole 31 bases and added to the excitement of a very fast team hitting .266 while shortstop Christin Guzmnan had 25 steals and 14 triples while scoring 80 runs. Corey Koskie always seemed to make the most of his chances and scored 100 runs while driving in 103 and 26 home runs; he added 27 steals to reaffirm his value to the team. All of this and then a catcher who was both loved and hated throughout the league in AJ Pierzynski. AJ hit .289 with 55 RBI and 33 doubles all while controlling the pitching staff well and playing harder then anyone in the league. Denny Hocking was the foil infielder off the bench with limited upside and Brian Buchanan hit 10 home runs with 12 doubles as a nice pinch hitter for the club. In many ways this Twins team could remind someone of the clubs of old like their opponents the Cubs. Look for a very hard nosed series with great defense and minimal mental mistakes. The Twins pen could be a deal breaker, but the storylines in both dugouts are quite fascinating. Game 1 At West Side Grounds Partly cloudy 54 2001 Twins...................5 1913 Cubs....................2 (10 inn) WP: B. Radke (1-0) LP: C. Hendrix (0-1) HR: None POG: Brad Radke 2001 Twins lead series 1-0 The 1913 Cubs were losing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth thanks to an outstanding start by Brad Radke. The Cubs rallied in the 9th however to tie the score after Al Birdwell singled in the 2nd run. The Twins redeemed their pitcher by putting 3 on the board in the 10th with the bog blow being a Denny Hocking 2 run triple. Radke goes 10 innings striking out three and walking six. Game 2 At West Side Grounds Partly cloudy 53 2001 Twins.....................8 1913 Cubs......................1 WP: E. Milton (1-0) LP: O. Overall (0-1) HR: None POG: Eric Milton 2001 Twins lead series 2-0 Another strong pitching performance for the Twins as Eric Milton held down the Cubs to one earned runs and only five hits while striking out five. Denny Hocking had another big game at the dish going 3-5 and driving in 3 runs as the Twins scored 4 runs in the 8th and 3 more in the ninth. The series now heads to the Metrodome where one would think the Twins have a great chance to end this series. Game 3 At Metrodome Indoors 1913 Cubs.....................6 2001 Twins....................3 WP: J. Lavender (1-0) LP: J. Romero (0-1) HR: T. Leach (1), F. Schulte (1) POG: Frank Schulte 2001 Twins lead series 2-1 Frank Schulte got the biggest hit of the series for the Cubs with a three run home run off JC Romero in the third inning that would be the difference in the game. Jimmy Lavender walked six over nine innings and struck out four and allowed three earned runs. Game 4 At Metrodome Indoors 1913 Cubs.......................3 2001 Twins......................2 WP: C. Hendrix (1-1) LP: B. Radke (1-1) HR: None POG: Claude Hendrix Series tied at 2 The road team wins again as the Cubs have made the Metrodome a nice venue for them this time clipping the Twins behind the good outing by Claude Hendrix. Hendrix struck out six and walked only one to beat Brad Radke and get some payback for game one. Cather Jimmy Archer came through with the big hit in the 8th inning to break a 2-2 tie and set Chicago up for the series tie. Game 5 At Metrodome Indoors 1913 Cubs......................3 2001 Twins.....................2 WP: O. Overall (1-1) LP: E. Milton (1-1) HR: C. Guzman (1), T. Leach (2) POG: Orval Overall 1913 Cubs lead series 3-2 No one would have expected it but the Cubs win all three games inside the Metrodome and take game 5 by the slimmest of margins. Chicago only had 5 hits to Minnesota's 12 but they built a 3-0 lead as Tommy Leach went 2-5 with 2 RBI and a first inning home run. Overall walked two and struck out four in his 146 pitch effort but was resilient enough to get the crucial win. Game 6 At West Side Grounds Partly cloudy 48 2001 Twins.....................2 1913 Cubs......................3 WP: J. Lavender (2-0) LP: J. Romero (0-2) HR: J. Evers (1) POG: Jimmy Lavender An error and an eventual wild pitch ends this series and scores the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs win their fourth game in a row completely changing the tide. as Jimmy Lavender only allowed two earned runs despite walking five. AJ Pyrzinski tied the game in the 8th inning with a clutch double but manager Johhny Evers had a good game hitting a rare home run and driving in 2 runs. JC Romero just couldnt hold the game late. 1913 Chicago Cubs Win Series 4 Games To 2 Series MVP: Tommy Leach (.455, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, .500 OBP) Last edited by Nick Soulis; 05-19-2022 at 08:31 PM.