Well, if they had that kind of juice back in '45, I
would be suspicious.
Look at the way that season stands out from all the others. I think MLB talent was still diluted in 1945 due to the war, but that was even more the case in 1942-1944. Aside from the peak in batting average and the hit streak, why the sudden power and run production that he never came close to matching before or after?
Code:
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
1942 25 BSN NL 141 558 56 155 24 4 4 41 2 64 10 .278 .353 .357 110 199 10 1 2
1943 26 BSN NL 152 629 75 170 33 10 5 41 7 58 20 .270 .334 .378 107 238 8 2 7 MVP-29
1944 27 BSN NL 155 631 93 195 42 6 13 73 4 61 11 .309 .372 .456 128 288 11 2 7 MVP-23
1945 28 BSN NL 154 636 125 224 47 6 28 117 15 70 9 .352 .420 .577 175 367 3 4 11 MVP-2,AS
1946 29 BSN NL 149 568 80 176 35 6 6 79 7 58 14 .310 .377 .424 126 241 13 3 15 MVP-19
1947 30 BSN NL 150 618 90 191 33 3 9 53 3 44 16 .309 .360 .416 107 257 9 5 15
1948 31 BSN NL 139 585 85 190 35 7 6 61 1 46 20 .325 .375 .439 121 257 7 1 18 AS
1949 32 BSN NL 117 380 47 101 20 4 8 59 1 39 6 .266 .337 .403 102 153 4 2 10
1950 33 BSN NL 105 322 44 96 20 1 9 51 0 33 8 .298 .370 .450 120 145 4 4 10
1951 34 BSN NL 27 29 1 5 2 0 0 5 0 0 3 4 .172 .250 .241 37 7 0 0 0
1952 35 BRO NL 31 36 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 4 .111 .200 .139 -5 5 0 0 1
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
11 Seasons 1320 4992 698 1507 292 47 88 581 40 0 480 122 .302 .366 .432 122 2157 69 0 0 24 96
Quote:
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Holmes, a left-handed batter, hit .352 in 1945 and he led the N.L. in hits, with 224; doubles, with 47; and home runs, with 28; while breaking Rogers Hornsby’s consecutive-game hitting streak of 33, set with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1922. Holmes’s record was eclipsed by Pete Rose, who hit in 44 consecutive games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1978.
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I understand from his obituary that he was quite a gentleman. God rest him.