The NL Expansion Orioles

[Sctvman]

George Kell is your Major League Baseball batting champion! What a season for the 25 year old from Arkansas. After batting just .266 in 1946, Kell hit .363 in 1947. He hit 97 points higher than his '46 season.

Kell recorded 218 hits, 39 doubles, 9 triples, 7 home runs, 85 RBIs, 55 walks, only 24 strikeouts on the year, and also stole 6 bases. What a season for Kell and for Philadelphia, who becomes the Athletics first bonafide star in a few seasons. Can he continue his tear in 1948 and help get Philly to the playoffs?

Your playoff pairings...

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The American League and National League Championship Series included what are likely the 4 best teams in the sport in the Red Sox, Indians, Dodgers and Cardinals.

ALCS Game 2: CLE 8, BOS 6 (10); W: Gromek, L: Dobson, HR: Keltner (2nd), A- 32,945 (at Fenway)

The Indians move on to a deciding game as they come back from a late inning deficit to win in 10 innings. Three runs in the 10th inning give Cleveland the victory, led by a Pat Seerey double.

ALCS Game 3: CLE 5, BOS 3; W: Reynolds, H: Lemon, L: Dobson, S: Feller, HR: Dobson (4th) A- 32,839

A shocker! The Cleveland Indians pull off an improbable victory in Boston, getting two victories off of the 106 win Red Sox at Fenway Park. Single runs in the 7th and 9th innings did the trick, as Cleveland moves to the World Series for the first time in 27 years. SP Joe Dobson had a 2 run HR for the Red Sox, who end in another bitterly disappointing finish.

94 wins last year, 106 this year, no championship to show for it.

NLCS Game 2: STL 4, BRO 3 (11); W: Brazle, L: Zoldak, A- 34,158

The Cardinals move on to another World Series, this time in a extra innings victory over Brooklyn. The winning run came on an error by LF Augie Galan in the 11th inning, causing Lonny Frey to score, and St. Louis advances to back to back World Series.

The World Series, shockingly, will begin at Cleveland Stadium as the Indians host the Cardinals.

[Sctvman]

In an unlikely World Series, the Cleveland Indians, who needed a victory on the last game of the season to even make the playoffs or avoid a tie, upset the Boston Red Sox in two games at Fenway Park to make the World Series. It has been 27 years since Cleveland has made a World Series, their only other playoff bid in history.

The St. Louis Cardinals dominated the NL all year, and had a much easier time against the Dodgers. They are the heavy favorites to win this World Series, even though they will start it on the road due to the rotation.

Cleveland was not prepared for the possibility of the Series. Tickets came on sale on Thursday for Friday and Saturday's games, and fell far short of a sellout.

World Series Game 1: CLE 3, STL 2; W: Galehouse, L: Pollet, HR: Musial (4th inning), Rosen (6th), A- 35,013

The Indians came out in Game 1 of the Series and pulled off a win to take the early series lead, with three runs in the 6th inning. Al Rosen's 2 run home run off of Pollet was the key play in the game. Galehouse, who lost a whopping 22 games this season between the Browns and Indians, limited the Cards to six hits.

Gionfriddo and player-manager Lou Boudreau each had two hits for Cleveland. A crowd which was less than half capacity, 35,013, showed up at Cleveland Stadium, shocking national and international media, but this was 11,000 more than the previous largest crowd the Indians had for the season, Opening Day April 15 against the White Sox.

World Series Game 2: STL 7, CLE 4 (11); W: Barrett, L: Gromek (1-1), BS: Brazle, HR: Slaughter (5th inning), A- 37,846

In front of a few more people than Friday's game (about 2,800 more), the Cardinals pulled off an extra inning win to tie the series at 1 a piece, but a shocking comeback by the Indians nearly gave them a big series lead.

St. Louis led 4-0 after 8 innings, with a single run in the 1st and three in the 5th off Bob Feller, who did not have a great performance, allowing 10 hits and 4 runs while striking out 9. Enos "Country" Slaughter homered off Feller in the 5th to give the Cards what seemed to be an insurmountable lead.

But it wasn't to be. The Indians scored four times in the 9th inning, with no extra base hits to tie the game and send it into extra innings. In the 11th, the Cardinals scored three times to break the game open. Joe Garagiola's bases clearing double was the key play. Red Barrett shut down Cleveland in the bottom of the 11th, and sent the teams back to St. Louis tied.

[Sctvman]

After splitting the first two games in Cleveland, most people expected the Cardinals to assume control over the Indians for the next 3 games at Sportsman's Park in front of near-sellout crowds.

That was not the case.

World Series Game 3: CLE 11, STL 1; W: Reynolds (2-0), L: Brecheen, HR: Seerey 2 (3rd, 9th), Gionfriddo (9th), Musial (2, 1st), A- 34,485

Cleveland goes into Sportsman's Park and shocks the Cardinals with an 11 run outburst. The Cardinals led 1-0 after 2 innings with Stan Musial's solo HR, but the Indians came out and grabbed 4 runs in the 3rd inning. It all started with a base hit from P Allie Reynolds. After a Gionfriddo strikeout, Ken Keltner followed it up with a double, his 2nd of 5 hits on the day. Keltner had 3 doubles on the day!

After Boudreau flew out, Eddie Robinson singled and Cleveland tied the game. It was followed by Pat Seerey's 3 run HR and Cleveland never gave up the lead after that.

One run scored in the 7th off of a Robinson hit and then they added 6 in the 9th with 2 2-run homers from Gionfriddo and Seerey again. Cleveland had a whopping 19 hits in the game, limiting the Cardinals to just 7.

World Series Game 4: CLE 9, STL 0; W: Lemon, L: Dickson, A- 34,492

Another comprehensive victory for the Indians who are suddenly just one win away from their first Series win in 27 years. The Cardinals had 7 hits on the day but left 8 guys on base as the Indians took advantage of their opportunities. An Erv Dusak error in the 4th was the key play, as it led to a 2 run inning.

Mostly defensive C Jim Hegan had 3 RBIs on the day, including a 9th inning 2 run single. Bob Lemon came an out away from a complete game before suffering an injury in the 9th inning, causing Sandy Ullrich to get the final out.

World Series Game 5: CLE 2, STL 0; W: Galehouse (2-0), L: Pollet (0-2), A- 34,280

The Indians have done it! For the first time in 27 years, Cleveland has a World Series winner. They have shocked almost everybody, who picked the Cardinals as an almost unanimous choice. Most people expected the Cardinals to go at most 5 games and win it on their home turf.

Instead, Cleveland has pulled off the shocker, giving up just 1 run in 3 games at Sportsman's Park, and taking the title over St. Louis.

This game was one where Cleveland should have had way more than 2 runs. They left 11 on base, and had a whopping 15 hits compared to 2 for the Cardinals, but all the Indians could get was a 1st inning single from Pat Seerey and a 2nd inning sac fly from Gionfriddo after a Ray Boone triple to lead off the inning.

The 4th and the 7th were the only 1-2-3 innings for the Cardinals on this day. Stan Musial grounded out for the final out in the 9th, and people all over Northeast Ohio celebrated the Indians championship.

A parade through the streets of downtown Cleveland is imminent.

[Sctvman]

Your AL Reliever of the Year is Russ Christopher of the A's.

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Trevor Doyle has begun his stint as the new manager of the Baltimore Orioles! The Orioles will join the Milwaukee Robins as the two expansion teams for the 1948 season in the National League as I said earlier. Baltimore in the NL East, Milwaukee in the NL West.

As we near the expansion draft, where every team has to protect players to avoid from them being picked by the two new teams, let's take a look at the minor league affiliates that the Orioles have assembled to help divide up the new talent.

AAA: New Haven, CT- New Haven has been a proven market, and near the metropolis of New York and Hartford, this should be relatively easy for players to be brought via train into Baltimore.

AA: Bangor, ME- Bangor will be one of two AA teams in the system.

AA: Saint-Georges, QC- The furthest north team in the system will be in St. George, Quebec, a small city not far from the Maine border.

A: Ocala, FL: The small citrus city of Ocala, Florida will serve as the Orioles single A affiliate.

BC: Kearny, NJ; Miami Beach, FL, Myrtle Beach, SC: These three cities will serve as BC level affiliates for the O's. The teams spring training will be held in Miami Beach in 1948 as the players will get to train on South Beach. Kearny, near New York, and the small resort town of Myrtle Beach are the other affiliates.

DE: East Liverpool, OH and Wytheville, VA: East Liverpool, the hometown of Trevor Doyle (on the OH/WV/PA border) will be an affiliate, along with the southwest VA town of Wytheville, the only existing team in the Orioles system which played in 1947.

[Sctvman]

Ted Williams wins the American League MVP, surprising Philadelphia A's fans, but not surprising the rest of the country.