Introducing the Footnote League

[luckymann]

The rosters for the 1902 Postscript League All-Star Game have been announced:

[luckymann]

WASHINGTON GETS THE WOBBLES – THE ORPHANS STAY STAUNCH – A’S AND CARDS IN THE CELLAR

Notable Performances

• 2nd: The A’s go on a 24 hit rampage in a 19-6 massacre of the Browns, with every starter getting a hit and all but one an RBI. LF Reed Johnson’s 5-for-6 / 2 RBI and catcher Jack Boyle’s 3-run HR lead the way.
• 7th: Otto Hess throws a three-hitter to lead his Americans to a 5-0 win over the Browns. Meanwhile, Mike Shannon’s 5-for-6 game with a dinger and 3 driven in isn’t enough to stop the Superbas going down 9-8 to the Orphans in a thriller.
• 13th: A big day at the plate by 1B Alex McKinnon helps the Americans to a 16-9 whacking of the White Sox. McKinnon is just a triple shy of the cycle as he goes 3-6 and drives in 7.
• 14th: Giants catcher Harry Bemis goes wild with a 5-hit, 5 ribbie game as New York humiliates the Reds 21-3.
• 18th: Key offseason signing Rich Hand gives up just one run on one hit in a CG gem to lead the Tigers to a 6-2 win over the Senators. Hand has begun his rookie season promisingly, going 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA.
• 20th: A 5-run 9th sees the Giants pinch one 7-4 from the Beaneaters, with Otis Clymer’s bases-clearing triple the key hit.
• 22nd: Terrence Long has a double, a HR, and 5 RBI as the Cards get a much-needed 7-3 victory over the Reds.
• 24th: The Tigers stage an extraordinary comeback from 8-0 down after 2 to beat the White Sox 10-9, with an Eddie Kasko RBI single scoring what would prove the winning run in the bottom 8th.
• 26th: A record-tying performance as Orphans RF Jay Johnstone goes 6-for-6 with two doubles and 4 runs scored to help his team past the struggling Cardinals 10-1.

Feats and Streaks

• 6th: Otis Clymer’s hit streak finally ends at 33 games when he is unsuccessfully deployed as a pinch hitter in a 7-6 loss to the Pirates.

Monthly Awards
American League

• Batter: Reed Johnson PHA (.537 / 24 RBI / 22 R)
• Pitcher: Dickey Kerr CLE (5-2 / 61 IP / 1.92 ERA / 27 K)
• Rookie: Reed Johnson PHA

National League

• Batter: Pete Runnels PHI (.448 / 20 RBI)
• Pitcher: Chappie McFarland BSN (64.2 IP / 5-1 / 2.78 ERA / 44 K)
• Rookie: Chappie McFarland BSN

Leaders
American League

• BA: Reed Johnson PHA .451
• HR: Steve Cox CWS 4
• RBI: Alex McKinnon BOS 47
• BWAR: Solly Hemus CWS 3.3
• SB: Willie Wilson CLE 45

• W: 2 tied on 10
• ERA: Steve Cooke PHA 2.26
• K: Andy Messersmith CWS 61
• SV: Gene Garber WAS 4
• PWAR: Dickey Kerr CLE 2.5

National League

• BA: Red Barnes CIN .418
• HR: Billy Johnson NYG 5
• RBI: Todd Dunwoody CHC 60
• BWAR: Todd Dunwoody CHC 4.6
• SB: Otis Clymer NYG 33

• W: Wilbur Wood CHC 14
• ERA: Bob Rhoads NYG 2.25
• K: Chappie McFarland BSN 69
• SV: Alex Pearson NYG 5
• PWAR: Chappie McFarland BSN 3.1

Transactions

• 10th: The first major trade of the regular season takes place as St Louis swaps outfielder Xavier Nady for Kiddo Davis and P Antonio Senzatela with the Orioles.
• 14th: A couple of big money rookie signings as Detroit hooks closer Tom Gordon for $1640 and $1060 lands the Browns highly-touted middle reliever Hector Carrasco.
• 17th: The Indians lock down another marquee reliever, paying Mel Rojas $1360 for a year of his service.
• 18th: Smiles all round at the A’s with the signing of promising reliever Cla Meredith. While the concept of closers is still in its infancy, it is becoming increasingly clear that a solid bullpen greatly increases a team’s chances of success and The A’s will be hoping that is what this acquisition gives them.
• 22nd: Detroit sends outfielder Johnny Welaj to the Beaneaters in return for SP Dick Newsome.

Injuries

• 1st: Well it might be a new month but it’s the same old story as another starter goes down with injury, this time gun rookie Bob Rhoads of the Giants with a fractured rib that will keep him on ice for about 6 weeks.
• 3rd: Disappointment for Senators starter Lou Brissie, who had been putting together quite the season with a 7-2 record and an ERA of 2.88, as elbow inflammation puts him out of action for 3 months.
• 6th: The Phillies lose SS Eddie Joost for the season to a fractured elbow.
• 7th: A ruptured Achilles knocks Americans SS Andy Fox out of action for the year.
• 14th: Yet another Reds SP is lost for the season as Mike Cvengros goes down with arthritic elbow.
• 21st: After just a handful of appearances, adult-onset rookie reliever Jim St. Vrain’s career comes to an abrupt end when a torn UCL forces him to call it quits.
• 22nd: The last thing the Reds need is to lose another starter, let alone for it to be to “personal issues”, but that is precisely what has happened with Al Fitzmorris set to miss a month while he gets his head right.
• 30th: A poor month ends on a sour note for the Senators when starting pitcher Joe Bowman goes down for the season thanks to a stretched elbow ligament.

Life in a Minor Key (news from the lower levels)

• 8th: On the same day Waterloo teammate Ivan de Jesus has his streak stopped at 34 games, Art Hoelskoetter finally goes hitless, ending his record run at an amazing 40 games. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Hawks drop the game 9-6 to Fort Worth.
• 27th: A wild one at Joplin sees the Panthers score 8 in the final two innings to squeak past the Miners 17-15.
• 28th: Harrisburg starter Matt Harrison pitches a 10-inning 3-hit shutout to get past Jersey City 1-0.

Standings

[luckymann]

Here are the Footnote League leaders in Fielding Independent Pitching for the month of June, 1902.

[luckymann]

Cribbed from THIS article on SABR Bio by Phil Williams.

In baseball, as in life, triumph and tragedy go hand in hand. It could be argued that the tragic story of Arnold Hauser ranks alongside those of Lou Gehrig, Donnie Moore, Roy Halladay and Tyler Skaggs, among others. There is no argument whatsoever that his story is far less widely known.

Born in Chicago in 1888, Arnold Hauser made his pro debut with the Dubuque Dubs of the Three-I League at the age of 20, and it was there he made early waves for his fielding prowess. Dick Kinsella, the renowned scout who owned the Springfield Senators in that league, recommended Arnold to St Louis player-manager Roger Bresnahan, who promptly signed the tyro shortstop to the big-league club.

Despite the presence of well-regarded 2B Rudy Hulswitt and high profile off-season SS recruit Miller Huggins in the Cards’ middle infield, Hauser was inserted into the lineup for his MLB debut on April 23, 1910 and was made the team’s everyday shortstop early the following month. He was small in stature (5 feet 6 and just 145 pounds, earning him the sobriquet “Peewee”) and a relatively light hitter, with an average of just .205 for his rookie season, but he was a tough out and parlayed that into a .312 OBP. It was his acrobatic fielding, however, that made him a fan favourite and helped keep him in the lineup that year.

1911 began well both for Arnold and the Cards, who mixed it up with the more favoured NL teams, getting as high as 11 games above .500 at one point. What Arnold lacked in raw talent he made up for with game smarts, determination and good execution, with his bunting and hit-and-run skills of particular note, and he spent a good part of that season batting at 2 behind Huggins. But both player and team faded down the stretch, with Arnold posting a .241 / .286 / .311 slash with 3 homers and 46 RBI as the Cards limped into fifth place.

Despite losing his mother to suicide in mid-season, Arnold stepped it up another notch in 1912, hitting .259 / .319 / .324 while driving in 42. But Bresnahan’s grating managerial style had taken its toll on the players and, after the Cards finished near the bottom of the NL, he was dismissed.

It is at this point Arnold’s story veers into the darker side of the human condition.

In March Arnold injured his right knee, which had reportedly been weakened by an off-season injury, and missed three months’ game time. Then, just a few weeks after he had returned to the team, his young daughter died unexpectedly. In the end he managed to play in just 22 games that year before it was decided to operate on his knee, which had not healed as expected. Despite all that had gone on, Arnold still managed to post a .289 BA in 45 at-bats, quite remarkable under the circumstances.

From here, Arnold’s decline was steep and swift. He lost 25 pounds (reportedly to pneumonia) over the next few months and started showing signs of delusional behaviour. These worsened to the point that, in mid-1914, Arnold was placed in a sanatorium, where he convalesced for the next 12 months.

By June 1915 Arnold’s condition had improved sufficiently for him to be released, and after an unsuccessful tryout with his former team, he joined the Chicago Whales of the Federal League. But his play was not up to scratch and, after only being used sparingly, he was released at the end of the season.

Whether this had anything to do with his relapse into mental disrepair remains unclear. However by the following year, Arnold was back in supervised care at Elgin Hospital in his home state, where – apart from a couple of periodic releases – he remained as a patient until 1955.

Arnold Hauser died of a heart attack in 1966 and is buried in Chicago’s Mount Olivet Cemetery.

In his reincarnate form in the FL, Arnold was drafted in the 1901 Inaugural Draft by the Boston Americans (10th Round, 110th overall pick) and named at #36 in the Top Prospects list that preseason. He played 76 games for Boston that year, going .277 / .309 / .338 with one HR and 31 RBI, and was the walkoff hero for the Americans when he doubled in the winning run against Cleveland on June 21. He was traded in the offseason to Cincinnati but hasn’t managed to crack the FL team in 1902, instead being sent down to Cedar Rapids, where he has hit .300 whilst only being used sparingly.

BASEBALL REFERENCE PAGE

[luckymann]

... on one of our other Spotlight players, Cy Seymour.

After missing the start of the 1902 season with a high ankle sprain, Cy was released by the Americans in late June and is currently a Free Agent. Hopefully he'll get picked up again and be featuring in these pages again in no time at all, but at 38 and injury-prone, his prospects look somewhat bleak.

[ALB123]

A question for Commissioner Luckyman...

I really enjoy the Player Spotlight feature. How do you choose a player for the Player Spotlight? Do you randomly pick a player to highlight? Are they players you've heard of before?

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by ALB123

A question for Commissioner Luckyman...

I really enjoy the Player Spotlight feature. How do you choose a player for the Player Spotlight? Do you randomly pick a player to highlight? Are they players you've heard of before?

Hey bud

Yeah it's one of my favourite aspects of this (ad)venture and basically the heart and soul of the Footnote League. The results and stats are important, but in the end this is a human interest story with the players at its core.

The process is a bit random, really. I go through the team photos - or as many as I get the time to; in 1901 I got from BAL to BRO. In 1902 I started at the other end with WAS - and search for them on SABR BIO. They must have an article on them there for me to be able to Spotlight them. If there is an article about them I'll usually just peruse it and make a couple of notes to begin with, then save the link. Then I try to read them all in full later.

From there a few things come into play. First and foremost, their story. I want this thread to be a great read, so their bio has to have some topical relevance or interesting elements to it. A weird nickname works for me as well because there is usually a fascinating story associated with it (Bill "Raw Meat" Rogers, for example!). My having heard of a player in most cases automatically rules them out because I am trying to unearth obscure players and promote them to the forefront, and if I have heard of them that pretty much guarantees everyone on here has as well. What's happening to them in the FL is another consideration, although I have other avenues to highlight those guys so it is a secondary one.

That's basically it as it currently stands although, as with many other aspects I am constantly honing and refining as I go along.

Glad you're enjoying it, let me know if a player grabs your attention and I'll try to include them at some stage.

[luckymann]

The St Louis Cardinals swept all before them in 1901, going 86-54 to win the NL by a decisive 6 game margin and then winning that epic World Series in 7 over the A’s, with their players collecting all 4 major awards. What on earth has happened to them this year?

The rot may well have begun in the offseason, when they traded OF Charlie James. James went .382 / .397 / .541 / 5 HR / 97 RBI in 1901, with 3.7 WAR and is being productive again for PHI this season, on track for similar numbers as in his rookie year. 2B Hobe Ferris, the player they got for him, has given them just 0.3 WAR and -3 batting runs as opposed to the 26 James provided the season before.

Their other big guys McCormick, Shealy and Long are all having solid seasons again, although each has dipped somewhat across their slash. But behind them is a vacuum of unproductivity, with the team’s BWar projected to drop 21 points year-on-year from 36 to 15. RpG is down by more than 2, with the team's OPS dropping a massive 135 points, and whereas they were near or at the top of all meaningful stats in 1901, this year they are near the bottom across the board.

The pitching has fared even worse. Dave Dravecky (7.5 / 3.26 ERA) is having another solid season and Ed Rasmussen (7-9 / 4.32) is holding his own, but 1901 Cy Young Award winner Jimmy Jones has gone from a stellar 16-3 / 2.53 in 1901 to 3-12 / 6.35 ERA this year, giving up 198 hits in 134 innings with a FIP of 4.48. No doubt they are missing the steadying presence of SP Harry Gumbert, who has been out since late May with elbow problems, during which time they have gone 11-24. Backup catcher Billy Shantz going down with torn ankle ligaments the following week hasn’t helped, exposing the club’s dire lack of depth at the position, with Shantz’s replacement William Brown hitting just .185 since being called up. Why they haven’t signed someone like free agent Dave Engle, who hit .299 for Boston last season, I’ll never know.

There are rumours of dissent in the locker room, although whether this is the chicken or the egg is unclear. One thing, however, is crystal clear: season 1902 is a write-off for the franchise. And, at 26-45 and some 21 games out of first place at the halfway mark, they look set to make one of the earliest exits by a defending champion in professional sports history.

[luckymann]

The midseason point is upon us, which means a revised list of players seen as the best prospects. They are as follows:

[luckymann]

Which means the various farm systems look like this:

[luckymann]

Just a quick update to follow up on this season’s Rookie Draft class. Just because you drafted ‘em doesn’t mean you got ‘em, and here’s where the top 20 picks stand in this regard:

• 1. OF John Wilson, BAL: unsigned, now FA
• 2. OF Oscar Charleston, BOS: signed on July 9th to an MiLB contract with a $2260 bonus; now playing for Wilmington in the PL
• 3. C Joe Ferguson, CIN: signed on June 27th to an MiLB contract with an $880 bonus; now playing for Cedar Rapids in the PL and rated the #1 prospect in the FL
• 4. 2B Eric Young, BOS: unsigned, now FA
• 5. OF Gates Brown, BSN: unsigned, now FA
• 6. OF Al Shaw, NYG: signed on June 5th to an MiLB contract with a $760 bonus; now playing for the Giants in the FL (.279 / .382 / .380 with 2 HR and 17 RBI in 129 AB)
• 7. SP Bernie Boland, PIT: unsigned, now FA
• 8. SP Tommy Hanson, PHI: unsigned, now FA
• 9. SP Melido Perez, DET: unsigned, now FA
• 10. C Ellie Rodriguez, BRO: signed on July 9th to an MiLB contract with a $675 bonus; now playing for the Superbas in the FL and has so far gone 2-for-4
• 11. SS Chick Galloway, WAS: signed on July 4th to an MiLB contract with a $630 bonus; now playing for Chattanooga in the PSL
• 12. 1B Roy Leslie, CLE: unsigned, now FA
• 13. SP Frank Corridon, SLA: unsigned, now FA
• 14. 2B George Cutshaw, CHC: unsigned, now FA
• 15. 3B Hector Lopez, CWS: unsigned, now FA
• 16. LF Milt Thompson, PHA: unsigned, now FA
• 17. 1B Ray Sanders, STL: unsigned, now FA
• 18. 2B Bump Wills, BAL: unsigned, now FA
• 19. CF David Murphy, CIN: signed on July 3rd to an MiLB contract with a $243 bonus; now playing for the Reds in the FL and has so far gone 10-for-31 with a dinger and 7 RBI
• 20. 3B Joe Randa, BOS: unsigned, now FA

As Commissioner, I won’t lie—it’s somewhat disappointing to see all of that young talent sitting on the sidelines. But that’s the nature of the beast and hopefully we’ll see them suited up and strutting their stuff for FL fans in the very near future.

[luckymann]

Chronological serendipity abounds for Beaneaters SP Chappie McFarland and the Footnote League.

IRL Chappie (born Charles Amos McFarland) debuted in 1902 for the Cards, fashioning a 34-61 record with an ERA of 3.35 over his five seasons in the bigs. Time travel obviously agrees with him, as the second go around seems him faring much better. Picked up as a FA in late 1901, his debut season in the FL has seen him go 13-7 / 3.81, responsible for exactly one-third of his struggling team’s wins. Thru late July he features prominently on the National League leaderboards, currently leading in strikeouts, K/9 (4.2), K/BB (2.77), WHIP (1.35), and FIP (3.76), as well as sitting second in BB/9 (1.5) and QS (16), third in wins, fourth in OBA (.286), fifth in BABIP (.327) and sixth in ERA. If not for the presence of Chicago’s Wilbur Wood he’d be a lock on this year’s NL Cy Young Award, and is still an outside chance to win it if his form holds up down the stretch and Wood stumbles. Another Orphan, Bill Parsons, along with Giants positional players Chuck Diering and Harry Bemis, are his only real threats for NL RoY honours.

Chappie’s real life ended tragically at just 49 when he had a heart attack on the golf course, so I’ll be rooting for him to enjoy a few years of success in the FL before hanging up his cleats.

BASEBALL REFERENCE PAGE

[ALB123]

Chappie McFarland looks like he could be the younger brother of Moe, from the Three Stooges.

I can't believe both Boston teams have such stacked minor league clubs. Well, I didn't take into account each Footnote League team has only 1 farm club, right? I suppose a single top prospect, or lack thereof, could impact a team's farm club ranking quite a bit.

I'll be keeping an eye on my team, the Baltimore Orioles, as beginning next season they will forever be home in New York. (They didn't take the nickname Yankees until sometime around 1912-1914). I'll be keeping an eye on Oriole's Top Prospect, 2B Danny O'Connell.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by ALB123

Chappie McFarland looks like he could be the younger brother of Moe, from the Three Stooges.

I can't believe both Boston teams have such stacked minor league clubs. Well, I didn't take into account each Footnote League team has only 1 farm club, right? I suppose a single top prospect, or lack thereof, could impact a team's farm club ranking quite a bit.

I'll be keeping an eye on my team, the Baltimore Orioles, as beginning next season they will forever be home in New York. (They didn't take the nickname Yankees until sometime around 1912-1914). I'll be keeping an eye on Oriole's Top Prospect, 2B Danny O'Connell.

Arrr! Wise guy! woop woop woop!! Love me some Stooges.

Danny was almost the subject of the Chappie LLSB feature (and is the reason for / focus of my WAR calc post), but his 20 IRL WAR made him less appealing in that context. He's a good 'un though, as you'll see from the screenshot in that other article, killing it in his sophomore season with a .424 / .474 / .510 slash and 42 RBI. Born in Paterson, NJ, I see - an absolute hotspot for talented individuals.

The Americans must have traded for a pick sometime in 1901 as they ended up with picks 1 and 3 in the '02 Draft. Quite a few of those prospects are playing in the bigs so that list will change again pretty soon (I think it's 75 days' service max to be considered a "prospect"), but both certainly look set up for a few good years from here. Maybe a bit too good? One thing I wish you could change is the mode of the draft order. Straight to me just seems too favourable to the teams with the top picks v bottom, whereas serpentine seems more equitable. I understand parity is the goal but the way it works now seems like it will make the league a bit whippier in respect to franchise performance than I'd like. We'll have to wait and see.

They go by the Highlanders first don't they, before becoming the Yanks?

Blessed again in 1902 with a cracking pennant race. While the Orphans seem to be in control of the NL, the Tigers, Senators and White Sox are engaged in a ding-dong battle for the AL. Great stuff!

[ALB123]

Originally Posted by luckymann

They go by the Highlanders first don't they, before becoming the Yanks?

Ya know, that's what I always thought. The truth, however, is kind of weird. After moving to New York, the team didn't have a nickname...for years. Seriously.

I once heard they were informally called the New York Americans, like The Boston Red Sox who were known as the Boston Americans back then. I never tried to research why teams were called "Americans" during an era when there was no global information being shared on a daily basis when it came to sports. Did they not want to be confused with the New York Frenchmen, a team that never existed?

I don't know the exact year, but eventually, New York was known as the New York Highlanders. Again, I'm not exactly sure why. I think it had something to do with the fact their field was up on a hill (called Hilltop Park) and something about the owner...

Then, to get even weirder... Some news reporters started referring to the team as the Yankees way back in 1904-1905'ish, but it was a totally informal nickname. Kind of like calling the St. Louis Cardinals the "Redbirds" or calling the Boston Red Sox the "A-holes". Just kidding about Boston.

Boy, I sure am supplying you with a stellar answer! This post sucks, I know, but there is some truth in the words I have written. I just don't know which parts.

[luckymann]

I'm just going to go with what the game provides, it seems to help with the evolution if you don't mess with it. Same with the Bronchos spelling, I've seen it both like that and the more familiar "Broncos", but have left it as per the game's suggestion with "h" intact.

Wikipedia, for what it is worth, have them listed as "Highlanders" for the 1903 thru 1912 seasons, before changing it to "Yankees" in 1913. Same goes with BBRef. Both obviously using a bit of historical revisionism.

[ALB123]

Originally Posted by luckymann

I'm just going to go with what the game provides, it seems to help with the evolution if you don't mess with it. Same with the Bronchos spelling, I've seen it both like that and the more familiar "Broncos", but have left it as per the game's suggestion with "h" intact.

Wikipedia, for what it is worth, have them listed as "Highlanders" for the 1903 thru 1912 seasons, before changing it to "Yankees" in 1913. Same goes with BBRef. Both obviously using a bit of historical revisionism.

Oh, you absolutely should go with whatever OOTP has. I didn't mean to suggest you change anything. You're right. It will end up causing problems down the road, most likely. Believe me, every single season my minor league leagues reset to ootp's default and I have to adjust them manually, which is a huge pain in my arse. One thing is, it makes the Gulf Coast League "higher" than the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League. I've posted a bug/complaint, but it doesn't seem to be of interest to anyone. So then I manually fix it, every single year, but doing so causes a sorting problem with Class A teams. It's not the end of the world, but it's become a huge pet peeve of mine...

Honestly, places like Baseball-Reference will use Highlanders out of convenience and that's cool. It's a lot better than listing nothing and putting an asterisk on every team entry saying "This New York team did not have an official nickname, so we leave it blank". 99.9% of the time I will call them the Highlanders too, out of convenience. It's actually kind of hard to find websites that will explain all of this silliness.





I snipped that from: https://sportsteamhistory.com/new-york-highlanders

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be spamming this thread with my nonsense. Go Orioles!!

[luckymann]

No man, I lap up that stuff. Plus it's good to have someone taking such a keen interest, makes it even more worthwhile than just the personal pleasure and gratification I get from doing it!

One of these days I am going to do a deep dive on these minors. I love the whole concept of Minor League Baseball, the game being played how it should be, not dictated to by $$ or media conglomerates. Crappy hotels and long bus rides, man that's the life!

[luckymann]

TIGERS, SENATORS IN A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED DOGFIGHT – A’S, WHITE SOX, O’S STILL LURKING DANGEROUSLY – ORPHANS SEEMINGLY IN CONTROL OF THE NL

Notable Performances

• 2nd: Powered by Abraham Nunez’s 5-for-5 with two doubles, a trip and two ribbies, the Pirates take down the Reds 13-2.
• 3rd: Third basemen Wid Conroy cracks a pair of taters for the O’s in an 8-4 win over the A’s.
• 4th: On a day of doubleheaders, the Senators lose both games to the A’s and Detroit wins its two against the Browns, putting Washington out of first place for the first time this season.
• 11th: Right fielder Emil Frisk’s 5 hits and 2 RBI pushes the Pale Hose past the Browns in a 14-3 romp, with St Louis 2B Heinie Reitz matching his feat in a losing cause.
• 12th: The A’s continue their charge back into playoff contention, moving within 6 of the lead with a 15-4 bashing of the Americans. Second baseman Damian Jackson leads the way, going 5-for-5 with a triple and 4 RBI.
• 18th: Beaneaters RF Clete Thomas becomes the first player in the Footnote League to hit for the cycle, driving in 4 and leading his team to a 10-8 win over the Superbas.
• 19th: The top-of-the-table heavyweight series between the Senators and Tigers lives up to the hype and results in a 3-1 points decision to Washington. The final game sees the Sens rally from 5 down in the 9th to win it 8-7 walkoff on a Heinie Peitz single, putting the two teams in a tie for 1st atop the AL.
• 23rd: A four-hit shutout by Billy Hoeft gives the Senators a valuable 1-0 win over the Bronchos, putting them back in front of Detroit by a game in a race that seems set to go right to the wire.

Feats and Streaks

• 7th: Giants third baseman Billy Johnson hits his 6th round-tripper of the season, setting a new FL HR mark by eclipsing Charlie James’ 5 from the year before.

Monthly Awards
American League

• Batter: Gene Richards DET (.473 / 1 HR / 29 RBI / 22 R)
• Pitcher: Juan Nieves BAL (6-0 / 58 IP / 3.26 ERA / 29 K / OBA .248)
• Rookie: Rich Hand DET (5-0 / 53 IP / 2.55 ERA / 20 K)

National League

• Batter: Damian Jackson PIT (.455 / 18 RBI / 20 R)
• Pitcher: Don Robinson PIT (6-0 / 69.1 IP / 3.38 ERA / 26 K)
• Rookie: Don Robinson PIT

Leaders
American League

• BA: Danny O’Connell BAL .424
• HR: 5 tied on 4
• RBI: Steve Cox CWS 73
• BWAR: Solly Hemus CWS 4.8
• SB: Willie Wilson CLE 62

• W: 3 tied on 13
• ERA: Steve Cooke PHA 2.74
• K: Andy Messersmith CWS 93
• SV: 3 tied on 4
• PWAR: Dickey Kerr CLE 3.4

National League

• BA: Otis Clymer NYG .411
• HR: 2 tied on 8
• RBI: Todd Dunwoody CHC 86
• BWAR: Todd Dunwoody CHC 5.3
• SB: Otis Clymer NYG 47

• W: Wilbur Wood CHC 18
• ERA: Wilbur Wood CHC 2.58
• K: Chappie McFarland BSN 89
• SV: Alex Pearson NYG 6
• PWAR: Chappie McFarland BSN 4.3

Transactions

• 3rd: Poor old Moonlight Graham has his CL hopes dashed yet again when he is released for the fourth time, on this occasion by Washington.
• 12th: A blockbuster interleague trade sees LF Manny Mota shipped from the Tribe to the Bucs in return for C Kurt Suzuki and reliever Frank Seminara.
• 26th: Looking to shore up their middle infield, the Pirates acquire boom 2B Damian Harris from the Phillies, giving up SP Ed Killian, reliever Marcelino Lopez and 3B Don Lang for the privilege.
• 27th: Cincinnati finally comes to terms with #1 draft pick Joe Connolly, locking him down with an $880 signing bonus.
• 29th: The Phillies and White Sox engage in a spot of wheeling and dealing that sees 3B Bill Mueller sent to Philadelphia in return for reliever Blake Wood and 2B Logan Forsythe.

Injuries

• 10th: Just as they start playing some good baseball, the A’s suffer a major setback with the loss for the season of gun starter Ed Head after he suffers a partially torn UCL.
• 15th: Browns gun reliever Jim Hackett has his rookie season cut short by a torn triceps.
• 26th: The White Sox lose rookie SP Greg Harris for the remainder of the season to a herniated disc.
• 28th: Another blow for the A’s as rookie SP Trevor Cahill goes down for the year with radial nerve compression. Two days later they would lose prized offseason recruit for 5 weeks with shoulder tendinitis to really test out their farm system.

Life in a Minor Key (news from the lower levels)

• 4th: Newark’s Ben McDonald celebrates the nation’s birthday by striking out 7 and allowing just 3 hits in a 7-0 CG shutout win over the Panthers.
• 9th: Williamsport RF Marc Newfield has a game for the ages, going 5-for-5 with a double, a dinger, 5 runs scored and 9 driven in as his team mauls Wilmington 36-15.
• 11th: A 5-run 9th gets the Grays out of jail in a 9-8 win over the Pirates, while the Spudders pull off a similar Houdini act scoring 3 late to pip the Bees 5-4.
• 13th: A 3-dinger, 7-ribbie outing by catcher Geronimo Gil powers the Miners to a 15-4 humbling of the Bees.
• 23rd: Wichita Falls’ Pete Harnisch pitches a two-hitter and fans 16 to help his team get past the Buffaloes 7-0.
• 29th: The Spudders overcome a crooked number 1st to nip the Keystones 13-12 in a wild one, with first baseman Greg Pryor’s single delivering the walkoff win.
• 31st: Reading’s Ray Phelps one-hits the Bunnies, fanning 14, in a 6-0 cakewalk.

Standings

[ALB123]

It looks like the American League could be shaping up for a battle as the regular season winds down. Obviously, Washington is already knocking on Detroit's back door, but all it takes is a 8-2 run over the next 10 games from Chicago, Philly or Baltimore and they'll be right there scratching that door as well.

Danny O'Connell sure is hot for my Orioles... How's his Slugging Percentage? Is he just knocking singles around or is he creating runs for Baltimore?