The July Campaign 1902
The Cincinnati Redlegs return to form and now sit atop the National League standings, thanks to the leading offensive attack. Sam Crawford with the bat averages .323 with 5 homeruns and 67 runs batted in. A current streak of 13 for 22 in the past four games helped the Redlegs power past second place Pittsburgh (who actually has one more win) in what is shaping up to be a two-team race. The pitching is staged by a one-man show, that of
Noodles Hahn, who proves he may be the best pitcher in the league with a 15-6 record and 1.70 ERA. The lefthander has shaken any control problems he may have had by walking only 27 in 200 innings, striking out 110. The Pirates haven’t felt the season loss of speedballer Waddell with Jesse Tannehill manning the top slot of buccaneer moundsmen. Tannehill has gone 14-5 with a 2.29 ERA in 19 starts. The solid play of Harry Felix (10-11, 2.28 ERA) and others have given Pittsburgh the top pitching staff. “The Flying Dutchman” Wagner has been grounded somewhat this year, struggling with a .299 clip but with 15 triples, he leads the league. No other team looks to threaten the pennant, with 2 months to play. Overall, the National League is seeing a slippage in hitting, batting .260 collectively. With scoring down, attendance lags behind the upstart American League, and has owners uneasy.
National Club Standing July 31
Code:
Club Won. Lost. P.C. Club. Won. Lost. P.C.
Cincinnati 52 35 .598 | St. Louis 43 48 .473
Pittsburgh 53 38 .582 | Brooklyn 44 50 .468
Chicago 46 44 .511 | Boston 40 47 .460
New York 46 44 .511 | Philadelphia 35 53 .398
Despite his early success in Baltimore, John McGraw became increasingly at odds with league president Ban Johnson. Johnson accused McGraw of running the team into the ground, mainly by “deteriorating player morale and increasing friction with management”. On July 7, McGraw orchestrated his release from the club and signed with the New York Giants, claiming “I wish to state that I shall not tamper with any of the Baltimore club's players.” No sooner than two weeks had passed and a dismal fall in the standings, did Baltimore lose Dan McGann, Joe McGinnity and Roger Bresnahan to the Giants. The Orioles also lost the services of Cy Seymour to Cincinnati. Only McGraw was having a good season to date, hitting .332 with 13 triples. The others, and McGraw, have struggled since joining the Giants. With the moves, the Baltimore club looks to be in dire straits, laced in controversy. As in the National League, the pennant chase appears to be a duel between Chicago and Cleveland. Player-manager Fielder Jones, who took over the reigns after
Clark Griffith was traded last year, has energized his team enough to keep the top spot but the month of July proved treading water in the heat of a race is no means of a sure survival. Cleveland, led by the perennial batting power of Nap Lajoie, also finds itself in choppy water, going 13-13 in July gaining no ground on the Colts. Lajoie, having only played 47 games and prohibited to play in Philadelphia, feasts all other American League pitching to the tune of .372 and driving in nearly a run a game and himself reaching base nearly 40% of the time. Pitcher Bill Hoffer sports a pristine 16-3 record, already matching his total of last year.
Earl Moore has fallen back to earth but still dazzles batters with his crossfire delivery, striking out 122.
Only Boston appears to threaten the top two teams, with Buck Freeman enjoying another superb year slugging the bat. With 46 extra-base hits and 72 runs batted in, he has a chance to win the league’s first “Triple Crown”, leader in batting average, homeruns, and RBI. The disappointing Athletics have struggled mightily with the bat, the loss of Lave Cross to the California League and Napoleon Lajoie are major miscalculations by Cornelius Mack. It is believed the even-tempered Mack failed to persuade Elmer Flick to come back to Philadelphia and has even attempted to lure the injured and troubled Rube Waddell to come pitch for him. And the curse of major league jumping continues to plague the St. Louis club. Punchless except for the acquisition of Jesse Burkett (.355), the Browns lost shortstop Wallace with a torn up leg (spiked) and hurler Ned Garvin (traded after pitching a no-hitter for unknown talent). The mismanagement of the team by
Clark Griffith has club executives looking for a different option next year.
American Club Standing July 31
Code:
Club. Won. Lost. P.C. Club. Won. Lost. P.C.
Chicago 53 35 .602 | Detroit 46 41 .529
Cleveland 51 37 .580 | Philadelphia 36 51 .414
Baltimore 46 41 .529 | Washington 36 51 .414
Boston 46 41 .529 | St. Louis 35 52 .402