The Bucs Start Here - A Pirates Do-Over

[luckymann]

Another big trade that sees Turkey Stearnes heading to the Giants.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

Things do not improve. In fact, they get worse as we lose 5 of our next 7 and fall out of first place.

Brown aside (who ends up winning the monthly award), our pitching is in utter disarray, with our ERA blowing out almost a full point since the start of June. While he’s no worse than the others, Mirabal loses his rotation spot, with Webster McDonald given the chance to cement it.

The downtrend continues. We lose 4 straight at home to the Giants as we seem to have utterly forgotten how to win.

This is not simply a matter of metrics. While our ERA is ballooning, it is doing so from what was an unsustainably low level. Our hitting is still fine, with Walker and Waner continuing to go gangbusters. Our defence remains at the top of the class.

No, this – as the wags often say about insanity – is all in our heads. We have, for the moment, stopped making the decisive plays at the crucial moments in games. The key hit. The routine out. The important pitch. One stat above all confirms this: we are an ugly 12-23 in one-run games.




I tinker with the lineup a wee bit, returning us to the combination that worked so well last season with a straight swap: Williams at cleanup, Beckwith at 5. I also replace Lundy with Toporcer at 2B. Dick just isn’t getting things done.

It is by no means crisis time. But it is crunch time. None of the other teams have made a strong move, leaving the division bunched and up for grabs. We simply need to get back to basics. Three extra-inning wins late in the month that form part of a yet-unbroken 6-game win string and restore us to the top of the standings are a promising sign we are already doing just that. The AL also looks set to go down to the wire.




Awards, news, leaders.






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[luckymann]

With the BoSox again putting up stubborn resistance, this is the last thing the Yanks need.

[luckymann]

Nice to be on the other end of this onslaught and still walk away with the W.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

Well the lads save their best for when it counts as we put together a fantastic 20-6 month and are currently riding a 10-game win streak.





Everyone's doing their bit but it is the bats driving our resurgence, with Walker set to give Rajah a run for his money in the MVP voting and Beckwith coming good at the right time as he has a tendency of doing.



The pitching has been good but not great, although Streeter's 6-0 / 3.02 performance nets him the monthly award. McDonald returns from another IL stint on the last day of the month.




Both races look to be down to two horses now although the Giants and Cubs can't be entirely ruled out just yet.




Awards, news, leaders.






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[luckymann]

A breakout year for the big Boston backstop and his Red Sox are still just holding off the Yanks with 20 games to go.




Man we have some quality catchers in this league at the moment.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

Massive ramifications for the Yanks, who currently cling to a half-game lead over the BoSox but will have to get the job done without their ace.

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We run our win streak to 13 before dropping one at the Cubs. When the Cards head to Steeltown early in September for our final series of the year, we lead them by 6 ½ games. That doesn’t change as we split the 4 games (and the season, 11-11), but our MN is now down to 10.

We lose Cobb for a minimum IL stint after he pulls a back muscle.

In the shadows of the post we get the wobbles, losing 5 straight but we are far enough in front to hang on and clinch in game 150, eventually winning it by 6 games.





Despite a late fadeout that will almost surely cost him the MVP, Curt Walker is simply massive for us again this season. John Beckwith ties his club-best 28 HR of the previous year.




Willie Foster loses his last start to stop him joining Brown and Streeter as 20-game winners. Comstock and Braxton lead a superb effort from the BP.




The BoSox lead the Yanks by a game with one to play but lose to Detroit, leaving the door ajar. The Yanks lead early in their game against the Browns but can't hang on, losing 6-4 to give Boston the pennant, their first in a decade. So good to see these two teams, with all the historical rivalry stemming from this era, duking it out here.




Bibb Falk of the White Sox and Bob Fothergill of the Braves each win their first batting title. Lou Gehrig pips Babe 45-41 in the HR stakes.

Awards, news and final leaders.






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[luckymann]

Pittsburgh Pirates (92-62) v Boston Red Sox (92-62)

Best-of-seven, Pirates with the home-field advantage.


PITTSBURGH PIRATES S+ PAGE

BOSTON RED SOX S+ PAGE


If I’m being totally honest, this Red Sox lineup scares me more than the Yanks do. I am a firm believer in the advantage of splits and our southpaw-strong rotation matches up better against New York’s big guys - Ruth and Gehrig, both LHB – than against Foxx, Wilson and Wright, all of whom bat from the right side.

And while our pitching has been the bedrock of our recent success and was so again this season, we are vulnerable in this area, as Brown, Streeter and Foster can all have their moments. So, here more than ever, it will all come down to who gets the job done on the hill and who doesn’t.

Cobb is in the squad but unsure if he’ll be able to play any meaningful part. He’ll certainly miss the first couple of games as he just isn’t right.

NB My apologies, that Boston bunch of FGs is a disgrace...

[luckymann]

This is the first AAA title for Ft. Worth, who knock off 1925 Champs Scranton in four.

Our Wilkes-Barre boys finished in 4th at 66-60.

[luckymann]

Game 1 in Pittsburgh, October 2nd 1926
Dave Brown (25-12, 2.77) v Frank Lange (22-20, 3.95)

What an amazing renaissance for age-42 Frank Lange, and he’ll be a tough customer with all that experience to call upon. We’ll need to be patient at the plate and tight in the field. Hopefully DB can do the rest.

Despite Traynor’s excellent form down the stretch, I’m sticking with Moore to begin the series. Bressler at 1B in Cobb’s absence.

Brown gets into trouble in the 2nd but a gem from Walker doubles up a runner at home and we escape without conceding. He struggles in the next few as well before finally giving up a run on a Foxx trip in the 5th.

That wakes up our bats, who have just 2 hits to this point, and we tie it up on a single by O’Farrell and then go ahead on another hit by Waner, which also loads the bases with still none down. Bressler does likewise to extend our lead and Williams adds two more with yet another single. Then Beckwith singles one in to make it 6-1 and chase Lange. They are obviously concerned about their BP as they deploy Hod Eller – scheduled to start G3 – in relief, and Toporcer greets him with an RBI single. That’s what this lineup of ours can do.

They regather and score one in the next but Brown keeps them quite after that until I hit for him in the 8th. They get one more in the 9th before we close it out.

Pirates 7, Red Sox 3
BOX SCORE


Game 2 in Pittsburgh, October 3rd 1926
Sam Streeter (22-14, 3.12) v Erskine Mayer (18-15, 3.26)
Pirates lead series 1-0

We’ve had problems with Mayer in the past and need to learn from those experiences. Sam had another great season but suffered with control issues throughout, so spotting his pitches is key today and in the series overall.

An early scare when Walker looks to have injured himself making another fine play, but thankfully he’s just a bit shaken up.

We open the scoring in the 3rd on a two-out Bressler single and then, after we load the bases, Beckwith adds a pair with a single.

They hit straight back with one in the 4th and we waste a bases-loaded and none out chance in the home half of that one. That costs us as their big guys get to Streeter in the next as he falls apart, conceding 3 and the lead. This is the side of the Streeter we didn’t want to see. It’s also the end of his game as 56 takes over.

He is in immediate strife as Foxx is just tearing us apart and they add 2 to make it 6-3.

Williams inches us closer in the bottom 7th with a solo shot but our clutch hitting deserts us as Bressler kills a bases-loaded rally with a GIDP. Oh, how we are missing Cobb.

A really unconvincing game, especially from our pitchers, all but ends when they pad their lead with two in the 9th and we go down quietly to lose it 8-4.

Red Sox 8, Pirates 4
BOX SCORE


Game 3 in Boston, October 5th 1926
Frank Lange (0-1, 14.54) v Willie Foster (19-13, 3.20)
Series tied 1-1

While most of the 19 wins in Willie’s breakout season were good ones, some of those 13 losses were shockers. It goes without saying we’re looking for the former from him here. With his propensity for giving up the untimely longball, he needs to keep the ball down in the zone and try to minimise the number of baserunners on for the big guys.

The Sox surprise us by bringing Lange back for this one ahead of Eller.

Once again their big boys cause us grief as they take a 1st-inning lead with a run on 2 hits, but Foxx has to leave the game in the next after injuring his hip.

They score again in the 5th as our bats struggle to get anything happening, with Lange showing himself to be a true competitor. We finally get a run in the 7th as Waner finally contributes something, and Foster is lifted in the process. Mirabal relieves him.

They are such a disciplined side and are really showing us up in this department, adding 3 more in the 8th to put us to the sword. We have been really flat these past two games and need to turn things around fast as this series is getting away from us.

Red Sox 5, Pirates 1
BOX SCORE


Game 4 in Boston, October 6th 1926
Hod Eller (0-0, 0.00) v Dave Brown (1-0, 2.25)
Red Sox lead series 2-1

I wring some changes to try and spark us to life. Cobb reckons he’s good to go and he comes in at 1B, while Traynor comes in at 2B. Toporcer moves to SS, replacing Moore. Steel Arm Davis is gone for the duration with a fever.

A disastrous start as they smack Brown all over the place, scoring 3 before he’s even made an out and 3 more to really put us in the hole, sending 11 to the plate.

We load the bases with none out in the 2nd but have to trade two for one as O’Farrell meekly rolls into a DP. We come at them again in the next, as Beckwith clears the loaded bases with a double and we’re right back in it.

Brown settles right down and we close to within one in the 7th when Walker triples and scores on a Williams SF. Then Beckwith crushes one over the Monster and it is tied at 6. That ends Eller’s game but we keep at them, loading the bases again and taking the lead on a two-out 2-run single by a resurgent Waner. Then Cobb singles to reload them and Walker knocks one in with another base hit. Stirring stuff by the lads.

I have hit for Brown during all of this and Mirabal takes over. He, Braxton and Comstock keep them quiet as we get a win for the ages.

Pirates 9, Red Sox 6
BOX SCORE


Game 5 in Boston, October 7th 1926
Erskine Mayer (1-0, 3.86) v Sam Streeter (0-1, 6.00)
Series tied 2-2

One of the key elements of yesterday’s epic comeback win was that we used up a lot of their pitching juice. Mayer only threw 6 pitches but, when you add to that the warm-ups and the general exertion of getting ready to enter a game, it takes a toll more often than not. So we’ll be looking to take advantage of that with him starting this one.

I’m going to stick with yesterday’s lineup apart from Taylor coming in at catcher for O’Farrell.

Today it’s our turn for some 1st-inning fireworks as Walker puts us ahead with a 2-run bomb. We add a third on a Toporcer single and a fourth on an infield hit by Traynor.

Streeter begins nervously, walking two and then giving up an RBI single to Glenn Wright, but Waner cancels that out with a leadoff homer in the next.

Things stay quiet until the top 6th when Streeter singles in a pair to make it 7-1, chasing Mayer. A couple hits and a balk get us another one, but Foxx answers with a 2-run HR in the bottom half to keep them in it.

Beckwith then smokes another longball, adding 2 and you can see that one hurt. But theirs is a quality unit and they won’t lie down, adding one in the 7th and another in the 8th as I give Streeter the hook.

Still, they keep coming, loading the bases before we finally put them away and head home needing one win to win it all.

Pirates 10, Red Sox 5
BOX SCORE


Game 6 in Pittsburgh, October 9th 1926
Willie Foster (0-1, 3.00) v Frank Lange (1-1, 5.84)
Pirates lead series 3-2

It’s like deja-vu all over again as we call on Willie Foster to clinch for us in a Game 6. Anything even remotely resembling his 3-hitter gem last year will be fine by me.

We get off on the right foot with a run in the first via a Walker groundout but our joy is short-lived as they get square with one in the 3rd, then go ballistic in the next, adding 4. More trouble in the next and I yank him out of there, though I fear at 6-1 it is already too late. Another one coming in makes our job even harder.

It gets worse from there as they add 2 runs in the next and another pair in the 6th as things become downright ugly. Our pitching has basically self-destructed in this series and now it is us who had to dive deep into the BP here.

A dark day indeed for our ballclub as we lose 12-1.

Red Sox 12, Pirates 1
BOX SCORE


Game 7 in Pittsburgh, October 10th 1926
Dave Brown (2-0, 5.14) v Hod Eller (0-0, 5.40)
Series tied 3-3

Well it is going to take every ounce of intestinal fortitude from this group to bounce back from yesterday’s debacle, but if any bunch of ballplayers can do it, ours can. We get to send our ace out there and everything rests with him being able to turn around what has, in spite of his two wins, been a pretty ordinary series. Eller going for them.

Moore and Bressler back in, Traynor and Cobb out.

Straight away we are under pressure as a Williams error gifts them an unearned run in the 1st, but he atones with an RBI single in the bottom half and we score another one on a Beckwith groundout.

Trouble again in the 4th as Brown’s woes continue and they tie it at 2 with a run on 3 hits, but once again we have the ready reply, retaking the lead on a Moore double.

We have a runner thrown out at home in the 6th and narrowly escape a threat in the 7th, which is Brown’s last. But they get the tying run off Comstock in the 8th and this one is going right down to the wire.

Walker singles to lead off the bottom 8th and moves to second on a passed ball. We waste two outs but then Moore comes up with the biggest hit of his career, putting us on top 4-3 with a single.

Braxton comes in to try and close it out. He fans Oms for the first out, does the same to Flowers.

Sewell hits a grounder to Toporcer, who makes no mistake and somehow we have done it again. By the skin of our teeth.

Pirates 4, Red Sox 3
BOX SCORE


PITTSBURGH WINS SERIES 4-3
SERIES MVP: Curt Walker (Pittsburgh)





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[luckymann]

... 10 Championships and 16 NL pennants in 25 years is no mean feat, including having won the last three straight and knocked off the Yanks and Red Sox in quick succession.

And so, after much deliberation, I have decided that now is the time to take a break from the Bucs. Not sure how long that will be, we'll have to see.

Honus Wagner, who has been my GM almost since retiring as a player, will step into the Manager role.

This is a save about the Pirates, and the focus will remain on them. It's just that, for a while at least, I won't be pulling the strings.

[luckymann]

AL 1926 HISTORY INDEX

NL 1926 HISTORY INDEX

AWARDS HISTORY

We have our first ever tie, with Dave Brown and Andy Cooper splitting the NL Waddell Medal votes right down the middle. Surprise packet Bill McCall wins in the AL.

Rajah earns WL Medal number 7, while the Iron Horse repeats in the AL.

Harvey Hendrick and Babe Herman win the Rookie gongs.

Sim Accuracy for what it's worth, keeping in mind 1940 LTMs are in use.

[luckymann]

Honus gets busy. I'll say nothing, as it is no longer my place to do so.

[luckymann]

Held on 12/20/1927.

Just a note that I have made a slight change to the Legacy Player rules. From this point on, the cutoff is 20 career WAR, apart from one-club players, for whom it is 15. Previously it had been 10 for all, but I just felt this throws out too big a net.

Only two Legacies this year but the league is abuzz with the arrival of one of the all-time greats in the mighty Satchel Paige, who heads a strong class of NeL additions.

These are the Legacy Players for the 1927 season:

Chicago Cubs: Woody English (27.0; 1098)
Pittsburgh Pirates: Lloyd Waner (29.6; 1803)

There are 117 rookies for this season, and the Draft will consist of 5 rounds.

The Draft order will be as follows (winning percentage from 1926 IRL season in brackets; bold indicates Legacy Pick in 1st Round):

Round 1

1. Pittsburgh Pirates (549)
2. Chicago Cubs (532)
3. Boston Red Sox (301)
4. Philadelphia Phillies (384)
5. St. Louis Browns (403)
6. Boston Braves (434)
7. Brooklyn Robins (464)
8. New York Giants (490)
9. Detroit Tigers (513)
10. Chicago White Sox (529)
11. Washington Senators (540)
12. Philadelphia Athletics (553)
13. Cincinnati Reds (565)
14. Cleveland Indians (571)
15. St. Louis Cardinals (578)
16. New York Yankees (591)

Rounds 2 thru 5

1. Boston Red Sox (301)
2. Philadelphia Phillies (384)
3. St. Louis Browns (403)
4. Boston Braves (434)
5. Brooklyn Robins (464)
6. New York Giants (490)
7. Detroit Tigers (513)
8. Chicago White Sox (529)
9. Chicago Cubs (532)
10. Washington Senators (540)
11. Pittsburgh Pirates (549)
12. Philadelphia Athletics (553)
13. Cincinnati Reds (565)
14. Cleveland Indians (571)
15. St. Louis Cardinals (578)
16. New York Yankees (591)


The Waner Brothers bookends are now complete as Lloyd joins big brother Paul at the Bucs.

Here are the new Pirates players:
1. OF Lloyd Waner, 22
2. C Merv Shea, 26
3. C Luke Urban, 28
4. C Harry O’Donnell, 32
5. OF Bill Hohman, 23

Here's the 1st Round in full, with the Red Sox nabbing Satchel.



FULL DRAFT LOG

[luckymann]

Two words: Murderers Row.

AL CHAMPIONS: New York Yankees (110-44)
NL CHAMPIONS: Pittsburgh Pirates (94-60)
WORLD SERIES: Yankees 4, Pirates 0

Top Ten Lists (courtesy of thisgreatgame.com)

NL Hitters

1. ROGERS HORNSBY, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 155 games, .361 average, 133 runs, 205 hits, 26 home runs, 125 RBIs, 86 walks, .448 on-base percentage, .586 slugging percentage.
• The Rajah returned to Hall-of-Fame form in a one-year stint with the Giants; he even managed 33 games while John McGraw dealt with health issues, winning 22 of them.

2. PAUL WANER, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 155 games, .380 average, 114 runs, 237 hits, 42 doubles, 18 triples, 131 RBIs.
• After being deprived of the 1926 batting title because of lax eligibility rules, Waner officially copped his first of three such crowns and set a Pirates season record for hits.

3. HACK WILSON, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: .318 average, 119 runs, 30 doubles, 12 triples, 30 home runs, 129 RBIs, 71 walks, 70 strikeouts.
• Wilson managed to secure co-ownership of the NL home run title (along with the Phillies’ Cy Williams) by going deep in his penultimate at-bat of the season.

4. BILL TERRY, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .326 average, 101 runs, 189 hits, 32 doubles, 13 triples, 20 home runs, 121 RBIs.
• For the first of six straight years, Terry managed to score and knock in 100 runs each.

5. FRANKIE FRISCH, ST. LOUIS

• Key Numbers: .337 average, 112 runs, 208 hits, 31 doubles, 11 triples, 48 stolen bases.
• In his first year with the Cardinals after being dealt from the Giants for Hornsby, Frisch rarely skipped a beat while feeling much more at peace after bashing heads with New York manager John McGraw.

6. JIM BOTTOMLEY, ST. LOUIS

• Key Numbers: .303 average, 31 doubles, 15 triples, 19 home runs, 124 RBIs, 74 walks.
• With Hornsby gone, Bottomley became the chief offensive catalyst (along with Frisch) for the Cardinals.

7. RIGGS STEPHENSON, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: .344 average, 101 runs, 199 hits, 46 doubles, 9 triples, 65 walks.
• The Cubs gave the all-hit, no-throw outfielder—a former quarterback at Alabama who suffered a major shoulder injury—a chance to play every day; his bat easily made up for his throwing deficiencies.

8. GEORGE HARPER, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .331 average, 16 home runs, 87 RBIs, 84 walks.
• After putting up strong numbers for the Phillies the previous three seasons, Harper proved in his first year at New York that Philadelphia’s bandboxed Baker Bowl wasn’t the reason.

9. PIE TRAYNOR, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: .342 average, 93 runs, 196 hits, 32 doubles, 9 triples, 106 RBIs.
• The stellar third baseman was quite the road warrior, batting nearly .400 away from Forbes Field.

10. CY WILLIAMS, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: .274 average, 86 runs, 30 home runs, 98 RBIs, 61 walks, 9 hit-by-pitches.
• At the age of 39, the veteran slugger led (or co-led) the NL for the fourth time—with exactly half of his blasts recorded at snug Baker Bowl—and he became the oldest National Leaguer ever to hit for the cycle.

AL Hitters

1. LOU GEHRIG, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 155 games, .373 average, 149 runs, 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, 173 RBIs, 109 walks.
• Exploding into superstardom on a par with teammate Babe Ruth, Gehrig enjoyed the first of five seasons in which he averaged at least one RBI per game.

2. BABE RUTH, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .356 average, 158 runs, 192 hits, 60 home runs, 164 RBIs, 137 walks, 89 strikeouts, .486 on-base percentage, .772 slugging percentage.
• After being granted an astronomical $70,000 salary, Babe Ruth repaid the Yankees with a heavenly performance.

3. HARRY HEILMANN, DETROIT

• Key Numbers: .398 average, 106 runs, 201 hits, 50 doubles, 9 triples, 14 home runs, 120 RBIs, 72 walks.
• Heilmann’s fourth batting title—all consecutively in odd years—was his last; it was also the 15th won by a Detroit player in 21 years, not including Ty Cobb’s controversial runner-up performance to Nap Lajoie in 1910.

4. AL SIMMONS, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: 105 games, .392 average, 89 runs, 36 doubles, 11 triples, 15 home runs, 108 RBIs.
• Bucketfoot Al flirted with the .400 mark into July, but a groin injury clipped seven weeks off his season and stunted the momentum.

5. GOOSE GOSLIN, WASHINGTON

• Key Numbers: .334 average, 96 runs, 194 hits, 37 doubles, 15 triples, 13 home runs, 120 RBIs, 21 stolen bases.
• A year after getting shut out of his own park (Griffith Stadium) with no homers while hitting 17 on the road, Goslin managed a slim majority (7 of 13) at home.

6. TY COBB, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: 133 games, .357 average, 104 runs, 32 doubles, 7 triples, 93 RBIs, 67 walks, 22 stolen bases, 16 caught stealing.
• Showing he had plenty to give even after surpassing his 40th birthday, Cobb had the highest season average ever by a post-40 player and, appropriately, collected his 4,000th career hit against his old team at Detroit.

7. BOB FOTHERGILL, DETROIT

• Key Numbers: .359 average, 93 runs, 189 hits, 38 doubles, 9 triples, 9 home runs, 114 RBIs.
• At 5’11 and 230 pounds—that’s a conservative estimate—Fothergill was another one of those talented hitters whose terrible outfielding defense would have made him an early lobbyist for the designated hitter.

8. EARLE COMBS, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .356 average, 648 at-bats, 137 runs, 231 hits, 36 doubles, 23 triples.
• The Yankees’ lead-off spark set a franchise record in triples; only Dale Mitchell (in 1949) and Curtis Granderson (in 2007) would equal this total among American Leaguers in years to come.

9. BOB MEUSEL, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .337 average, 47 doubles, 9 triples, 8 home runs, 103 RBIs, 24 stolen bases.
• Despite missing much of June to injury, Meusel still led the Yankees in steals and was one of four team members to surpass 100 RBIs.

10. TONY LAZZERI, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .309 average, 18 home runs, 102 RBIs, 69 walks, 22 stolen bases.
• You might have been expecting Babe Ruth to be the answer to this question: Who was the first Yankee to hit three homers in a regular season game? Lazzeri supplies the stumper answer, on June 8.

NL Pitchers

1. PETE ALEXANDER, ST. LOUIS

• Key Numbers: 2.52 ERA, 21 wins, 10 losses, .677 win percentage, 268 innings, 38 walks.
• Turning 40 did little to blunt Alexander’s momentum carried over from a heroic 1926 World Series, scoring his ninth and final season winning 20 or more games.

2. JESSE HAINES, ST. LOUIS

• Key Numbers: 2.72 ERA, 24 wins, 10 losses, .706 win percentage, 300.2 innings, 25 complete games, 6 shutouts.
• Relying more exclusively on the knuckler—which he literally gripped with his knuckles—Haines was the last player purchased (in 1919) by the Cardinals from another club until 1944, and thus well worth the $10,000 cost.

3. RAY KREMER, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 2.47 ERA, 19 wins, 8 losses, .704 win percentage, 25 complete games.
• For the second straight year, Kremer was at his hottest late, winning his final eight decisions to help secure his second straight ERA title.

4. RED LUCAS, CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: 3.38 ERA, 18 wins, 11 losses, 39 walks.
• Living the brand as a guy named Red playing for the Reds, Lucas emerged from the bullpen to solidify his standing as an excellent rotation piece—and missed a no-hitter on July 22 when the only hit went through the legs of second baseman Hughie Critz. (The official game scorer denied a virtual begging from both teams to change the ruling to an error.)

5. DAZZY VANCE, BROOKLYN

• Key Numbers: 2.70 ERA, 16 wins, 15 losses, 273.1 innings, 25 complete games, 184 strikeouts, .239 opposing batting average.
• After a series of misfortunate incidents the year before, Vance returned to form and led a Brooklyn team that paced the NL in team ERA (3.36) despite finishing 65-88.

6. CARMEN HILL, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 3.24 ERA, 22 wins, 11 losses, .667 win percentage, 43 appearances, 277.2 innings.
• After six attempts to kick his major league career into gear over a 12-year period, Carmen Hill finally went into overdrive by winning nearly half of his 10-year career total.

7. CHARLIE ROOT, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 3.76 ERA, 26 wins, 15 losses, 48 appearances, 36 starts, 309 innings, 117 walks.
• Effective support (six runs per game) vested the Chicago workhorse with a prodigious number of wins despite having the worst ERA among Cubs starters.

8. LEE MEADOWS, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 3.40 ERA, 19 wins, 10 losses, 38 starts, 25 complete games, 299.1 innings.
• For the second straight year, Meadows matched teammate Ray Kremer in leading the Pirates in wins.

9. DUTCH ULRICH, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: 3.17 ERA, 8 wins, 11 losses.
• The latest anomaly of an unknown making Baker Bowl look expansive, with a 1.92 ERA over 17 appearances at home. Ulrich might had made for bigger fame, but he succumbed to pneumonia two years later at age 30.

10. JESSE PETTY, BROOKLYN

• Key Numbers: 2.98 ERA, 13 wins, 18 losses, 42 appearances, 271.2 innings, 53 walks.
• The hard-luck southpaw failed to get above the .500 mark again despite a second straight sub-3.00 ERA campaign.

AL Pitchers

1. WILCY MOORE, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 2.28 ERA, 19 wins, 7 losses, .731 win percentage, 50 appearances, 12 starts, 13 saves, .234 opposing batting average.
• After going 30-4 for Class-B Greenville in the Sally League in 1926, Moore hardly wilted with an upgrade in competition.

2. TED LYONS, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 2.84 ERA, 22 wins, 14 losses, 307.2 innings, 30 complete games.
• After racking up twice as many walks as strikeouts in 1926, Lyons reined in his control and displayed his most dominant set of numbers over his 21-year career.

3. WAITE HOYT, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 2.63 ERA, 22 wins, 7 losses, .759 win percentage, 256.1 innings, 23 complete games.
• In his seventh year with the Yankees, Hoyt became a 20-game winner for the first time. Average support of 6.7 runs per start certainly helped.

4. URBAN SHOCKER, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 2.84 ERA, 18 wins, 6 losses, .750 win percentage, 41 walks.
• While dealing with heart issues that would take his life the following year, the 37-year-old Shocker arguably had his most efficient year on the mound.

5. HERB PENNOCK, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 3.00 ERA, 19 wins, 8 losses, .704 win percentage.
• But of course, another Yankee—what else would you expect in 1927? Pennock was relatively preserved throughout the year, allowing him to shine in the World Series.

6. TOMMY THOMAS, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 2.98 ERA, 19 wins, 16 losses, 40 appearances, 36 starts, 307.2 innings, 24 complete games.
• The White Sox kept hoping that Thomas, a former 30-game winner for the minor league Baltimore Orioles in 1925, would be a second Lefty Grove. For the time being, it looked promising; among other things, he co-led the AL in innings pitched along with teammate Ted Lyons.

7. LEFTY GROVE, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: 3.19 ERA, 20 wins, 13 losses, 9 saves, 51 appearances, 262.1 innings, 174 strikeouts.
• In reaching 20 victories for the first time, Grove certainly qualified for the best pitching performance of the year, producing the lone shutout of the 1927 Yankees. (It would be his only blanking of the season.)

8. GARLAND BRAXTON, WASHINGTON

• Key Numbers: 2.95 ERA, 10 saves, 58 appearances.
• The former Yankee came to Washington and shared co-closing duties with Firpo Marberry, taking on more of the load late in the season.

9. HOD LISENBEE, WASHINGTON

• Key Numbers: 3.00 ERA, 12 wins, 7 losses, 22 saves, 64 appearances, 5 starts.
• With aging Walter Johnson and Stan Coveleski quickly immersing into a Big Fade, the 28-year-old rookie saved his best for first, defeating the almighty Yankees five times; over seven more seasons in the majors, he would rack up only a 19-49 record.

10. BUMP HADLEY, WASHINGTON

• Key Numbers: 2.85 ERA, 14 wins, 6 losses, .700 win percentage.
• Lisenbee wasn’t the only rookie making waves in D.C., as Hadley began his career with a personal-best ERA—and would have a more furtive lifespan than Lisenbee.

[luckymann]

The usual clubs are the busiest in the market, with both the Red Sox and Yanks pushing hard once again, but it is the Reds who grab the most attention with two big-name signings. The Tribe also make some key moves.

Here are the major signings and trades over the offseason:

• OF Oscar Charleston: Reds, 6 years / $68400
• OF Riggs Stephenson: Reds, 5 years / $56000
• P Dazzy Vance: Red Sox, 3 years / $41000 (extension)
• P Bill Drake: Yankees, 5 years / $40000
• OF Kiki Cuyler: Phillies, 4 years / $39300 (extension)
• OF Charlie Jamieson: Indians, 4 years / $35400
• P Erskine Mayer: Red Sox, 3 years / $30700 (extension)
• P Bill McCall: Tigers, 3 years / $23100 (extension)
• OF Ken Williams: Red Sox, 2 years / $22400 (extension)
• P Ping Gardner: Athletics, 4 years / $21080 (extension)
• SS Walter Cannady: Tigers, 3 years / $20060 (extension)
• P Frank Lange: Cubs, 1 years / $11120

• P Bill Evans and C Bennie Tate from Robins to Phillies for OF Tex Vache
• 2B Eddie Moore from Robins to White Sox for P Hi Bell and 2B Fresco Thompson
• 2B Jake Flowers and P Lefty Weinert from Red Sox to Braves for 1B High Pockets Kelly
• C Johnny Schulte from Indians to Reds for OF Cuckoo Christensen
• OF Ben Paschal from Indians to Tigers for P Frank Allen and SS Charlie Engle

ALL TRANSACTIONS


The pundits are predicting a bit of a cakewalk for the Bucs, with Detroit ascendant in the AL.