The Bucs Start Here - A Pirates Do-Over

[luckymann]

An early highlight as Cincy's Vinegar Bend Mizell no-hits the Braves.

[luckymann]

The World Champs have started their title defence strongly as Al Kaline continues to take the league by storm. It won't be easy topping a sophomore season - at the ripe old age of 19, if you don't mind - that saw him win both a ring and the MVP (among a clean sweep of the awards available to him). Still, he looks well ready to give it a try, and is just scary in this game against the White Sox.

[luckymann]

Little to say, really - it happens. Gomez returns to the parent club from AAA and everyone slots up one. For now, that is. Almost certain I'll be using my second trade ticket to improve upon this.

[luckymann]

This, as John Cleese's Reg in Life of Brian would say, calls for immediate discussion...

[CubMariner]

Not sure if you should fire the team trainer, the pitching coach, or both.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by CubMariner

Not sure if you should fire the team trainer, the pitching coach, or both.

So annoying. I knew there was a risk with our relatively new Trainer who is much stronger in rehabbing injuries than preventing them, but this looks to be a simple case of bad luck. Especially given the tight pitch counts I run for my starters - 110 max and usually lower.

[luckymann]

Once again this fantastic group of ours give us everything they have in the face of severe adversity; once again I worry about the toll it has taken and how that will play out later in the season.





It has, in fact, been the pitching mainly responsible for where we are and I do expect some regression in this area, but hopefully it is more than covered by some improvement in our hitting.




Some good, some bad here. Runnels has been outstanding, as has Burgess once again, while Piersall and Sievers have rebounded strongly after soft starts. Wertz had a horror first month and is only warming up - as opposed to heating up - of late. 224 / 4 / 21 isn't good enough, especially with Simpson on the bench and Kiner at AAA, so he'd better sharpen up pronto. We lose House to a minimum IL stint which gives us a quick look at Daley, who has so far failed to impress.




For such a young and inexperienced group to have put up these numbers after losing two key members is fairly outrageous. We sweep the monthly rookie awards with Sturdivant - who has led the BP admirably - and then Pascual getting the nod.

My not having traded for a short-term replacement for either Haddix or Podres is simply a matter of not being able to find the right one for the right price. The hunt continues.




The fact that our +28 run diff is the most favourable of all tells you just how evenly-matched the league is this year. The AL is looking particularly tight.


Monthly Award Winners

April

American League

• Batter – Al Kaline (Tigers): 375 / 7 HR / 14 RBI
• Pitcher – Joe Coleman (Indians): 3-1 / 0.29 / 11 K / 30.2 IP
• Rookie – Gene Freese (Senators): 258 / 5 HR / 16 RBI

National League

• Batter – Del Ennis (Phillies): 333 / 8 HR / 21 RBI
• Pitcher – Bob Rush (Cubs): 3-0 / 2.01 / 15 K / 31.1 IP
• Rookie – Tom Sturdivant (Pirates): 1-0 / 0.00 / 4 SV / 11 K / 12.2 IP

May

American League

• Batter – Bill Skowron (Yankees): 347 / 6 HR / 32 RBI
• Pitcher – Warren Spahn (Yankees): 4-1 / 2.31 / 23 K / 46.2 IP
• Rookie – Duke Maas (Indians): 3-1 / 0.74 / 10 K / 24.1 IP

National League

• Batter – Willie Mays (Giants): 426 / 7 HR / 23 RBI
• Pitcher – Jim Hearn (Giants): 4-1 / 1.80 / 14 K / 45 IP
• Rookie – Camilo Pascual (Pirates): 4-1 / 2.83 / 22 K / 35 IP

News and Leaders






Milestones and Observations of Note

• 2500 Hits: Ted Williams, Monte Irvin
• Cardinals SP Gene Conley blows out his elbow and is done for the year, while a torn meniscus will keep Tigers OF Preston Ward on ice for about 5 months.
• The Giants start the year with 19 losses from their first 20 games including 12 on the trot.

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Highest % of Wins Saved

[luckymann]

Just four of ours in this year's squad and the way we've been playing I reckon we're lucky at that.




Hank Sauer wins the HR Derby, while an Al Kaline-led AL squad wins their third straight ASG by a score of 6 to 3.

[luckymann]

23 innings without managing one extra-base hit makes this as much a showcase for our offensive ineptitude as anything, really. More on which in the next update.

[luckymann]

We’ve only ourselves to blame as we play some simply dreadful baseball and, by the time we’ve (sort of) got it back together, the Dodgers have made a fair run for it and they’ll now take some catching.





While 27-32 over the period might not seem it, this is a disastrous stretch for us that includes a run where we go 3-13, along with losing streaks of five and six. During the worst of it, more in a fit of pique (read, tantrum) than anything, I make the following trade with the Tigers.



The significance of this trade is how it very much acts as a psychological fillip for me by - in this season that promised so much and looks almost certain to deliver so little - we've at least got this to show for it.




Unlike most trades done in anger, this one holds up pretty well when the ardour cools. For two guys who were set to walk at the end of the season, we've got two solid players from whom we'll get multiple seasons' service.




We have called Kiner back up and he's getting his fair share of playing time as Wertz's horrible season continues. He's not alone, and we just don't seem to have the requisite pop with this group at the moment. Not just HR power (although we are next-to-last in that cat), but a general ability to score freely. Take Runnels, Boone and the now-departed Burgess out of these figures and it is far worse. Piersall has been OK but he and Sievers need to produce more runs with their bats, while Clemente has done everything you can ask from a rookie.




No complaints about the pitching. Well... one - another ordinary season by Vern Law and it seems almost a lock that his role with us moving forward is one of a relief nature.




After my sabotage job of last year, I'll refrain from making any comment about the standings other than to say the AL is still very much up in the air, while the NL really looks the Dodgers' to lose from here.


News, Leaders and Top 20s








Monthly Award Winners

June

American League

• Batter – Dale Long (Senators): 364 / 11 HR / 33 RBI
• Pitcher – Mike Garcia (Indians): 6-0 / 1.36 / 23 K / 46.1 IP
• Rookie – Bill Virdon (Tigers): 330 / 3 HR / 19 RBI

National League

• Batter – Wally Post (Giants): 327 / 12 HR / 33 RBI
• Pitcher – Curt Simmons (Phillies): 5-1 / 1.59 / 15 K / 45.1 IP
• Rookie – Hector Lopez (Phillies): 363 / 4 HR / 10 RBI

July

American League

• Batter – Mickey Mantle (Yankees): 316 / 8 HR / 29 RBI
• Pitcher – Whitey Ford (Yankees): 5-1 / 2.81 / 40 K / 48 IP
• Rookie – Rocky Colavito (Athletics): 226 / 8 HR / 13 RBI

National League

• Batter – Ted Kluszewski (Redlegs): 415 / 12 HR / 29 RBI
• Pitcher – Dixie Howell (Phillies): 4-0 / 2.18 / 3 SV / 7 K / 20.2 IP
• Rookie – Larry Jackson (Redlegs): 4-2 / 3.46 / 24 K / 41.2 IP

Milestones and Observations of Note

• 2000 Hits: Pee Wee Reese
• Ted Kluszewski is having a career year (check out those numbers in July!!) and looks set to challenge the single-season HR record (Lou Gehrig, 58).
• The biggest injury news is Duke Snider’s season ending after an errant pitch leaves him with a broken elbow. A similar occurrence gives Red Schoendienst of the Cards a 4-month holiday, while Mickey McDermott’s shocking run of injuries continues as his elbow gives out and he is done for the year.
• Yankees infielder Billy Goodman goes down for the year with a meniscus tear, as does Cincy catcher Bobby Hofman with a medial ligament rupture.
• Veteran Braves hurler Ken Raffensberger has his campaign curtailed thanks to an elbow injury, while a troublesome groin ends up keeping Brooklyn’s George Crowe on the sidelines for two months all told.

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Most Home Runs without an Intentional Walk

[luckymann]

Our second no-no of the season comes in AAA courtesy of Spec "The Naugatuck Nugget" Shea for Austin against Beaumont.

[luckymann]

He is the 31st player in history to reach this mark and is not far off 300 HR as well.

[luckymann]

The dangers of entering a season with elevated expectations are shown to full effect as we finish a distant second to the Dodgers, who never look threatened. Same goes with the Orioles over in the AL to set up a fascinating contest in the WS.




As is perhaps obvious from the fact that this season has passed in one real-time week instead of the usual two, my frustration at how things have progressed leads me to fly through this latter-season period with little regard for what is going on. A shame, really, for this prohibits me from fully appreciating the magnificent job our pitchers have done this year under the most difficult circumstances.







I'm going to try focus on the positives here. I'll put the vast underperformance from Wertz and Sievers down to bad luck and comfort myself in the knowledge of their IRL performances for the next few years. Runnels, Piersall and Boone give us plenty of cause for optimism, and obviously Clemente will be hugely improved by his first year at this level. Also, we've managed to move on from Burgess with what seems to be minimal effect.

The fact cannot be ignored, however, that we simply must start scoring more runs and finding more efficient and robust ways of doing so. We are near-to-last in both homers and steals, which leaves us overly reliant upon our contact hitting - an apple cart that is easily upended, as we've seen first-hand here. 5th in BA, 6th in OBP and 7th in SLG will not get it done, no matter how good our pitching.




A truly heroic performance from this bunch and the addition of Johnson was the most pleasant surprise of all. Sturdivant's season out of the pen (nearly 4 pWAR) is one out of the box, and I have everything crossed we get a season or two with this entire bunch able to ply their wares. The injuries continue right to the end, with both Bob Miller (nothing too serious) and Ray Moore (TBA) hurt in the final week.


The injury bug also robs Ted Kluszewski of a run at the all-time HR mark (he finishes up with 45 despite missing most of the final month), and he has to content himself with the NL batting title instead. Nellie Fox wins the AL with a low mark of 318, while Ernie Banks leads both league's with 121 RBI. The NL Wagner-Lajoie ballot will be most interesting, with Big Klu and The Say Hey Kid equally-worthy winners.

On the pitching front, Whitey Ford is the only 20-game winner and Billy Loes edges out Howie Pollet for the low ERA with 2.48. White Sox rookie Herb Score easily wins the strikeout title with 250, while Hoyt Wilhelm's 29 saves are the most of all.


Final Top 20s and Leaders







Monthly Award Winners

August

American League

• Batter – Al Smith (Orioles): 389 / 4 HR / 18 RBI
• Pitcher – Willard Nixon (Tigers): 6-1 / 2.32 / 34 K / 50.1 IP
• Rookie – Herb Score (White Sox): 4-0 / 2.42 / 49 K / 44.2 IP

National League

• Batter – Eddie Mathews (Braves): 309 / 10 HR / 24 RBI
• Pitcher – Tom Sturdivant (Pirates): 3-0 / 2.61 / 6 SV / 31 K / 31 IP
• Rookie – Tom Sturdivant

September

American League

• Batter – Al Kaline (Detroit): 412 / 8 HR / 26 RBI
• Pitcher – Whitey Ford (Yankees): 4-1 / 1.38 / 31 K / 39 IP
• Rookie – Roger Craig (Tigers): 3-1 / 2.79 / 21 K / 29 IP

National League

• Batter – Gus Bell (Cardinals): 383 / 8 HR / 20 RBI
• Pitcher – Bob Rush (Cubs): 4-0 / 1.29 / 21 K / 42 IP
• Rookie – Elston Howard (Cubs): 407 / 6 HR / 15 RBI

Milestones and Observations of Note

• August starts poorly for the Dodgers, who lose another big name when Jim Gilliam breaks a cheekbone and will be out for six weeks.
• The Yankees’ hopes of challenging take a big hit when they lose veteran hurler Preacher Roe for the rest of the season to a UCL tear.

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[luckymann]

Most Intentional Walks without a Home Run

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Brooklyn Dodgers (92-62) v Baltimore Orioles (91-63)
Best-of-seven, Orioles with the home-field advantage.


BROOKLYN DODGERS S+ PAGE

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No doubt Baltimoreans will claim this upswing as all of their own doing but clearly a lot of the pieces were put in place while the franchise was wallowing in St. Louis. Either way, this is a fine squad they have put together and, especially given all of the injuries Brooky has suffered to key players, I think the O’s go into this series as ever so slight favourites.

That said, this Dodgers squad has been tempered with the fire of success and won’t give the game away easily. If the Orioles slip up even slightly, Brooklyn will pounce and ram home the advantage. But the loss of Snider, Cerv and Pee Wee Reese really evens things out and should make for compelling viewing indeed. I am going with the Dodgers in seven, but without any real conviction.

One interesting storyline here is, of course, the presence of Don Larsen in the Dodgers squad. What odds a perfecto?

[luckymann]

Game 1 in Baltimore

Jack Harshman (16-9, 2.70) v Johnny Kucks (12-7, 3.06)

The first World Series game in Baltimore in 54 years sees O’s ace Jack Harshman – 47-25 in his three MLB seasons to this point – take on talented Dodgers rookie Johnny Kucks. Both sides will no doubt be looking to exert some early dominance in what really is a pick-em contest, on paper at least.

And what a way to get proceedings underway, with an instant classic that sees the lead change numerous times before the home side walks it off 5-4 with a Bobby Morgan single, his third hit of the game. Each of the starters goes six and leave with the game tied at 2, having impressed all in attendance.

Game 2 in Baltimore

Billy Loes (15-6, 2.48) v Alex Kellner (15-5, 2.70)

Orioles lead series 1-0

Former Pirate Alex Kellner finds himself in another WS after the best season of his career, but he’ll need to be at the top of his game to see his way past young Billy Loes, briefly also a onetime Pirate, who has also been fantastic this year.

And the young gun shoots them down with a gem, blanking the Dodgers on 3 hits over 8+ as his offence warms to the occasion and Baltimore cruises to a 9-0 laugher. Morgan goes yard for the second straight game and Al Smith drives in three as the Orioles head north with plenty of wind in their sails.

Game 3 in Brooklyn

Don Newcombe (18-12, 3.79) v Dick Donovan (13-9, 3.19)

Orioles lead series 2-0

Don Newcombe has had a chequered post-season experience so far, with three losses against just the one win, and boy does his club need him to turn that around here today. He takes on Dick Donovan, who has come into the rotation this year after spending his rookie season in the BP and done quite well at it.

They don’t get quite the polished performance they are after from Newk, but fortunately the bats find their groove and power the Dodgers to a much-needed 8-4 victory. Don does pick up the slack a bit by going solo deep, while Furillo also homers and drives in 3, and little-known Karl Olson goes 4-for-4.

Game 4 in Brooklyn

Don Larsen (11-10, 3.73) v Bob Buhl (11-13, 3.43)

Orioles lead series 2-1

A late change for the Orioles here as Bob Buhl is announced as the starter instead of Ned Garver. He’ll face Don Larsen, who just came back to earth a bit this year after going 31-9 the previous two seasons.

The Orioles get themselves within one win of the big prize with a fairly controlled front-running 5-3 win. All those missing players just seem to be weighing on the Dodgers as they can only manage 5 hits against a dominant Buhl, who proves an inspired late sub. Jim Rivera doubles, homers, walks twice and drives in two to lead the Baltimore offence.

Game 5 in Brooklyn

Mel Parnell (1-0, 7.71) v Robin Roberts (0-0, 4.50)

Orioles lead series 3-1

Our Game 1 opponents renew acquaintances and it is a long road back from here for the Dodgers, one would think.

In the end they don't even take another step as this disappointing series comes to its finale with the O’s doing it easy, romping home 10-2 to lock down the club’s 4th title and, obviously, first since moving to B-more. Harshman keeps the Dodgers bats quiet yet again over 8 and Smith and Rivera lead the bats, along with catcher Jim Hegan who is named Series MVP.

BALTIMORE WINS SERIES 4-1

SERIES MVP: Jim Hegan (Baltimore)

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[luckymann]

In this year's AAA competition, Scranton locks down its 4th Championship with a fairly comprehensive sweep of San Antonio.

[luckymann]

And on it goes.

Just the one managerial casualty this year: Washington's Harry Wilke. Marty Becker, our skipper at Wilkes-Barre, has decided to hang up his lineup card and so we'll need to find a replacement for him.

We non-tender our only arb-eligible player, Jim Dyck.

Players leaving the game include Eddie Joost, Randy Gumpert, Jimmy Grant, Hoot Evers, Sibby Sisti, Larry Jansen, Sal "The Barber" Maglie, Johnny Sain, Sid Gordon and Dom DiMaggio.