1921 North Carolina State League — Mid-Season Report
Go Go Greensboro!
Patriots mounting their first threat at winning a pennant
Life couldn’t be better for Greensboro Patriots fans. On July 4, 1921, the Pats find themselves in the front of the pack in the North Carolina State League. It’s the first time in the nine-year history of the league that Greensboro has been in front this late in the season. The Patriots usually start fading to the back in the first weeks -- or sooner.
But the G-men look for real this season (finally!). Left fielder
Steve Perry, first baseman
William Sullivan and second baseman
Joe Herrera have been leading the way at the plate. Perry is batting .350, while Sullivan has a .344 average. Herrera is hitting .332 average. On the pitching front,
Jerome Edwards owns a 9-2 record.
Here’s the rub, though, Steve Perry likely won’t play the rest of the season. He pinched a nerve in his neck and will be shelved for several months. That’s a huge blow. Greensboro has had some other ticky-tack injuries as well that have kept the team from being at full strength much of the season. Perry’s injury happened on July 1.
Greensboro may be in the lead for now, but the top of the standings are pretty crowded after roughly 84 games. Winston-Salem looms two games behind the Pats. Asheville, Wilmington (!) and Durham are in the mix as well. Just 5.5 games separates the top five, and Fayetteville is only 10 games back. What a summer and early fall it could be! Imagine a Greensboro vs. Wilmington playoff series. That would put the North Carolina State League on its head for a change.
Winston could be in a bind because starting pitcher
Jack Fry (considered one of the top players in the league) will join Steve Perry on the long term DL. This is the second year in a row Fry will miss a ton of games after getting hurt. He likely won’t be back until 1922.
Raleigh is stinking it up again, but the Capitals have a hitter who may outdo
Bill Robbins’ fantastic 1920 season.
Arturo Martinez, who bats third in the lineup, is absolutely tearing it up in Raleigh Red. He’s got 149 hits already and boasts an average of .431. This kid is only 24 years old, hailing from Anchorage, Alaska. As for Robbins, he’s still solid but his .308 seems paltry compared to last season.
So, what’s the problem in Raleigh? The Caps are nearly dead last in about every pitching category. That negates a lot of the big hitting from Martinez and Robbins. Like we said last year, imagine these two bats in Durham or Winston or Greensboro for that matter.
Stay tuned for what promises to be an exciting stretch run in 1921. First we'll check out how the Western Carolina League turned out...