[jksander]

MAY 30, 1955 . . . Hy Cohen (8-4, 1.62 ERA, 100.0 IP, 81 K’s, 0.74 WHIP) pitched in game one today against St. Louis starter Dean Stone (3-2, 2.68 ERA, 53.2 IP, 22 K’s, 1.14 WHIP). Del Crandall hit his 11th homer of the year in the top of the second, putting us up 1-0 on the Cardinals, and we subsequently loaded the bases though we were unable to score any additional runs that inning. But Russ Nixon tied it up 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double, and nothing was coming easy in a hostile road environment. Kaline and Maris got hits in the top of the eighth, and Mays beat out a slow infield throw to load the bases with just one out! Robinson hit to the shortstop who quickly threw Kaline out at home. But Ernie Banks was smart at the plate, waited for the right pitches, and took a walk to score the go-ahead run, sending us into the bottom of the eighth with a 2-1 lead. Cohen stayed in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth, still up by a run, ending the game with a groundout and a pair of K’s to wrap things up as a 2-1 victory!

Cohen improved to 9-4 with a four-hit 12 strikeout one run game, improving his ERA to 1.57 for the year! We had seven hits ourselves, led by Kaline (two hits and a walk) and Maris (two hits, one run). Del Crandall’s homer got the party started, but it was Ernie Banks’ bases loaded walk that won the game.

Camilo Pascual (5-2, 3.04 ERA, 53.1 IP, 51 K’s, 1.16 WHIP) pitched in the second game, up against St. Louis’ Bob Grim (1-7, 4.76 ERA, 62.1 IP, 36 K’s, 1.65 WHIP). Gene Baker got an RBI single in the top of the second to put us up 1-0, and Elston Howard gave us a two run lead when he hit an RBI double in the top of the sixth. Sandy Consuegra came in with two outs and a man on first in the bottom of the sixth, keeping the Cardinals scoreless, doing so through the seventh and eighth innings as well! Koufax came in for Consuegra in the bottom of the ninth to protect the two-run shutout lead, and though he allowed a baserunner, he got us through the inning with a pair of flyouts and a game-ending strikeout as we beat the Cardinals for the second time today by a 2-0 margin!

Pascual earned his sixth win of the year, improving to 6-2 with a 2.75 ERA, giving up four hits with seven K’s in his 5.2 inning effort, which was shortened by three walks. Consuegra earned his first hold of the year, lasting 2.1 innings with three hits and a strikeout, and Koufax saved his ninth game with a strikeout and a walk. The rookie now has a 1.50 ERA through 24 innings of work, with 16 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP. He is on track for 1.5 WAR as a reliever! Each team had seven hits in the game, with Al Rosen leading the way for us with three hits and two runs scored. Howard and Baker each batted in runs, the middle of our order coming through in a pinch! The two wins send us into Philadelphia with a four-game lead still in the division, though they’ve won three straight and are definitely keeping pace.
 
JUNE 1, 1955 . . . For game one against Philly we’ve got Saul Rogovin (7-3, 2.34 ERA, 96.1 IP, 99 K’s, 0.79 WHIP) pitching against Philly’s Curt Simmons (3-3, 3.80 ERA< 64.0 IP, 18 K’s, 1.31 WHIP). We got a hit and a walk early on, but Robinson hit into a double play to prevent us from doing first-inning damage. He did the same thing in the top of the fourth, and the pitching duel everyone expected took quick shape. In the bottom of the fourth, Rogovin got into a jam, giving up his second hit and his second walk of the game, but got out of the inning with a strikeout to keep the game knotted at zero. We took a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh thanks to a solo homer by Ernie Banks (his 11th of the season!) via only our second hit of the evening. Sandy Koufax took over in the bottom of the eighth, and it was a poor move on my part -- he struggled with his command, loading the bases and then giving up the tying run, though he did then come through in a tight spot with a double play at home and first, followed by a quick groundout to first to end the inning. We went into the top of the ninth knotted again 1-1, with Consuegra and Dorish warming up in the bullpen.

Robinson got a single to start the ninth, and Ernie Banks beat out the throw on an infield blooper to take first and give us a man in scoring position, bringing up Crandall with one out. Robinson stole third, and a 6-4-3 double play off a grounder by Crandall ended the frame with no score. We decided to bring Harry Dorish in for the bottom of the ninth -- a strikeout started things out, and then he allowed Johnny Wyrostek to reach base on a single and then take second on a wild pitch. He struck out Del Ennis, and Granny Hamner then batted out to center, sending us into extra innings tied 1-1. Gene Baker got a hit in the top of the 10th, and then Dorish bunted successfully, reaching first safely as well, since they chose to throw to second (unsuccessfully, I might add!) Kaline got a hit into right field, loading the bases with one out, and bringing up the real heart of our order. Maris took a ball to the shin, walking in a run to put us ahead 2-1, and Willie Mays got a hit into right, driving in another, though Al Kaline was thrown out trying to take home. That brought Robinson up -- with the count 1-2, he reached first with a grounder thanks to an error, scoring Maris and Mays to give us a commanding 5-1 lead! Dorish stayed in to close things out, but he gave up a triple to the first batter of the frame, and we started to warm Consuegra up in the bullpen. We got an out at first on a grounder, conceding the run that scored from third, pulling the Phillies to within three. Dorish then set the next two batters down by groundout and flyout respectively, and there was no need for a save -- we won this one in the 10th by a 5-2 margin.

Rogovin lasted seven innings with just two hits, two walks and six strikeouts, but had begun to tire after throwing 104 pitches. Koufax got his second blown save of the year but only gave up one run off his three hits and a walk, so his ERA remains a very solid 1.80 through 25 innings. Dorish, meanwhile, improved to 4-0 this year, with just two hits and a run scored to go with two strikeouts. His ERA of 1.35 through 20 innings makes him one of the flat-out best relievers in the game right now. We outhit the Phillies 8-7 -- Kaline had three hits but was stranded each time, and Ernie Banks added two hits for a run and an RBI.

We are now 4-0 in extra innings games this year!

JUNE 2, 1955 . . . Hy Cohen (9-4, 1.57 ERA, 109.0 IP, 93 K’s, 0.72 WHIP) is up in the rotation today against the Phillies’ Bob Rush (2-2, 2.96 ERA, 45.2 IP, 21 K’s, 1.23 WHIP). Willie Mays got a double in the top of the fourth with one out, giving us our first scoring opportunity of the evening, but Jackie Robinson popped out to center and Ernie Banks struck out swinging, keeping us tied and scoreless. Joe Collins broke it open in the top of the fifth, hitting his first homer of the season to make it a 3-0 ballgame, batting in Crandall and Baker as well! It was the right swing at the right time because we hit well all night but failed to string them together. We still led 3-0 heading into the stretch, but Danny Schell blasted one out of center field, putting the Phillies on the board down 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh. Willie Mays flew out to center for our second out in the bottom of the eighth, but the bases were loaded and he drove in a run to put our lead at 4-1. Sandy Koufax came in to pitch in the ninth, with Cohen at 130+ pitches, and he promptly gave up a walk and a base hit, putting us in a bit of a tight spot. But Granny Hamner flew out to center, holding the runners in place ... and then Del Ennis hit a run-scoring double to put two in scoring position with just the one out, with Consuegra warming up in the bullpen. Joe Collins made a great play, catching a blistering hit in midair near first for out number two, and a groundout to first ended the game as a 4-2 Cubs victory, Koufax coming through for three outs with only the one run conceded.

Cohen improved to 10-4 with a 1.54 ERA, giving up six hits with six strikeouts, a walk and one earned run in eight innings. Koufax earned his 10th save, giving up two hits and a walk along with the one earned run, keeping his ERA at 2.08. That was another high leverage save for the young pitcher, and he handled the pressure without letting it eat at him. We outhit the Phillies 11-8 as we improved to 39-11, keeping us on pace for a staggering 120 wins. Maris, Crandall and Baker each had a pair of hits in the game, but Collins’ three-run homer won the game for us. He’s currently hitting just .214 so far this year, but has only played in six games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. At 32, however, he’s happy to be playing for a winner, earning $29,000 through this season. It is highly likely we’ll resign him to stay part of our team in a similar role -- he’s a great bat to have coming off the bench, and he’s a capable fielder as well in a pinch.

Next up we have a four-game set over the next three days in New York -- we’ve beaten the Giants five times out of six this year, and they’re currently 18-34, 22 games out of first, just a hair out of last place.