November 1, 1935
Code:
NATIONAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
NORTHERN W L PCT GB
New York Y 89 65 .578 --
Boston 83 71 .539 6
Brooklyn 81 73 .526 8
Pittsburgh 77 77 .500 12
Philadelphia 69 85 .448 20
New York G 66 88 .429 23
MID-EAST W L PCT GB
Washington 99 55 .643 --
Cincinnati 79 75 .513 20
Baltimore 76 78 .494 23
Detroit 69 85 .448 30
Cleveland 68 86 .442 31
Milwaukee 68 86 .442 31
AMERICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS
CONTINENTAL W L PCT GB
Portland 97 57 .630 --
Chicago 96 58 .623 1
Seattle 85 69 .552 12
Chicago C 73 81 .474 24
St. Louis 73 81 .474 24
Kansas City 58 96 .377 39
PACIFIC
Hollywood 86 68 .558 --
Oakland 84 70 .545 2
San Francisco 74 80 .481 12
Sacramento 69 85 .448 17
San Diego 68 86 .442 18
Los Angeles 61 93 .396 25
The emergence of several bright rookie stars and three dandy pennant races made the summer of '35 an exciting one for baseball fans.
The National League Northern Division, usually the scene of a fierce race, was close until August, when the
New York Yankees pulled away from the Red Sox and Dodgers and won their third straight division title.
The Red Sox, with
NL Outstanding Pitcher Satchel Paige enjoying perhaps his best season ever (21-9, 2.25, 221 K, 42 BB), took the lead for three days in early July before the Yankees got hot and overtook them. Satch fired a
no-hitter against Pittsburgh on September 10.
The Dodgers led both leagues in home runs, with sluggers like
Mel Ott, Zeke Bonura, and Joe Medwick taking opposing pitchers deep on a regular basis; their pitching staff wasn't quite good enough to keep them in the race.
The Yankees, on the other hand, possessed the stingiest staff in the National League.
Bill Swift and
Brian Whaley won 18 and 20 games respectively, with
George Earnshaw, Milt Gaston, and reliever
Milt Shoffner (21 saves) also providing high-quality work.
The Yankees' offense suffered from the frequent absence of
Al Simmons, who was limited to 92 games by a variety of injuries. "Bucketfoot Al" hit .370-14-73 with 39 doubles when he was healthy enough to play. If Al had been healthy, his teammate
Buck Leonard (.344-40-123) might not have won the
NL Outstanding Hitter award, his third in a row.
The
Washington Senators won 99 games and took the NL Mid-East crown by 20 games. As usual, the Capital Punishers scored runs by the truckload. Seven of their eight regular position players finished the season with VORPs over 40. This time, the Senators' pitchers were almost as good as their hitters. Six Nats hurlers won at least 12 games, including
Dizzy Dean, who seems to have overcome the arm problems that plagued him as a youngster, and journeyman
Mike Haley, who went 12-3 in 25 starts.
Both American League races remained close all summer. In the Pacific Division. the
Hollywood Stars held off the Oakland Oaks and grabbed their first playoff berth. For the first time, veteran stars like
Carl Hubbell, Joe Hauser, and
Ultse Spitsbaard would have a chance to show their stuff in postseason play.
The Stars faced the defending World Series champion
Portland Beavers, who faced down a tough challenge from the Chicago White Sox. The Beavers overcame the loss of first baseman
Mike Christiansen, who tore a thigh muscle on July 31. He was hitting .368 at the time. However,
Chuck Klein continued to hit with his usual ferocity, catcher
Josh Gibson took a large step toward realizing his immense potential, and rookie
Roy Weatherly (.312-14-59) was among the league's most productive players after his arrival in the June draft.
Four Beavers pitchers won 15 games or more, with
Paul Baker and
Pat Caraway each topping 20. Baker (22-10, 2.98) was named the AL's
Outstanding Pitcher. With 30 saves between them, relievers
Jud McLaughlin and
Bernardo Gutierrez closed out win after win.
The efforts of
Ox Eckhardt, Arky Vaughan, Ray Brown, and
Gabriel de Klerk weren't quite enough to allow the White Sox to track the Beavers down. Eckhardt knocked in a career high 109 runs, Vaughan hit .358 and drove in 108 more, and Brown and de Klerk combined for 37 wins.
The ALCS was one of the most eventful postseason series in history. In Game One, Portland starter Caraway swatted two home runs and beat the White Sox, 5-1. In Game Two, Portland fans grimaced along with Klein, who dislocated his shoulder; Chuck was lost for the remainder of the postseason, but his full recovery seems almost certain. However, even without their star and leader, the Beavers defeated the Stars in six games, setting up a World Series rematch with the Yankees.
The New Yorkers prevailed this time, beating Portland 4 games to 2.
Bill Swift threw a three-hit shutout in the deciding game, and
Buck Leonard hit an even .400. It was the Yankees' second World Championship in three years.
Elsewhere, St. Louis outfielder
Earl Averill failed in his bid to hit .400, finishing at .384. However, his performance--which also included 24 homers, 70 extra-base hits, an OBP of .462, 111 RBI, and 136 runs scored--earned him the
AL Outstanding Hitter Award. Klein, who had won the previous five AL OHAs, finished second.
Washington catcher
Bob McBryde (.342-4-64, 99 runs) won the NL Rookie of the Year Award, narrowly edging Detroit's
Johnny Mize, who hammered 22 homers in half a season.
The
American League's best rookie was Sacramento's wunderkind,
Joe DiMaggio, who was every bit as good as advertised. Joe hit .318-13-62 in 77 games after joining the Solons as the #1 pick in the June draft.
And, a beloved veteran star enjoyed a day in the spotlight on July 8, when Pittsburgh's
Lou Gehrig hit the
400th home run of his career. Cleveland righthander
Chris Bradley allowed the historic homer, which was the Pirates' only bright moment in a 9-2 loss to the Tribe. Some thought Gehrig, 32, was beginning to slow down, but his .327-43-129 line seems to indicate otherwise. Gehrig now has 422 career home runs, trailing only
Joe Hauser (429) and all-time leader Mule Suttles (461) in that category.