[Big Six]

June 24, 1936

NATIONAL LEAGUE STANDINGS

NORTHERN        W   L    PCT  GB
Boston          49  24  .671  --
Pittsburgh      42  31  .575   7
Brooklyn        40  33  .548   9
Philadelphia    38  35  .521  11
New York G      30  43  .411  19
New York Y      27  46  .370  22

MID-EAST        W   L    PCT  GB
Washington      42  31  .575  --
Detroit         39  34  .534   3
Cleveland       37  36  .507   5
Baltimore       35  38  .479   7
Milwaukee       35  38  .479   7
Cincinnati      24  49  .329  18


AMERICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS

CONTINENTAL     W   L    PCT  GB
Portland        48  25  .658  --
Seattle         43  30  .589   5
Chicago C       37  36  .507  11
Chicago W       34  39  .466  14
Kansas City     30  43  .411  18
St. Louis       29  44  .397  19

PACIFIC         W   L    PCT  GB
Oakland         45  28  .616  --
San Francisco   38  35  .521   7
San Diego       36  37  .493   9
Los Angeles     35  38  .479  10
Sacramento      33  40  .452  12
Hollywood       30  43  .411  15

You couldn't blame New York Yankees fans if they wanted to start the 1936 season all over again. At the All-Star break in 1935, the Yankees led the Northern Division with a 43-30 record. A year later, they find themselves farther from the lead than any other team in either league.

The Yankees have scored the fewest runs in the National League and have allowed the ninth most. Buck Leonard (.330-12-42) is still hitting with his usual gusto, but Al Simmons (.289-10-42) is on his way to his worst season ever. Did Simmons' injuries have a greater effect on his ability than we expected?

Pitchers Bill Swift and Brian Whaley have a combined record of 8-17, and Swift's 5.36 ERA is almost twice as high as his 1935 mark. It might be too late for the Yankees to salvage this season, so forgive Yankees rooters if they're already saying "wait 'till next year."

Meanwhile, Boston Red Sox fans are celebrating their team's early success. Possessors of the best record in the majors, the Sox feature the booming bats of 3B Pinky Higgins (.297-7-60), LF Buzz Boyle (.341) and 1B Joel Hopper (.313-7-56 at age 38). Ed Brandt, whose 14 wins lead the majors, and Satchel Paige are headlining the Boston staff once again, and young Robert Hampton has come from nowhere to give the Sox a third superb starter.

Mid-East leader Washington is, as usual, thumping the ball; they lead both leagues in most important offensive categories. Mule Suttles has hit 16 homers so far this year, running his career total to 477. Jim Bottomley (.375-14-68) is demonstrating that he's still got thunder in his bat at age 36. Sophomore catcher Bob McBryde carries a .401 batting average into the break.

The Nats' sluggers naturally steal much of the limelight, but their pitching staff, led by Dizzy Dean and Tommy Thomas, is also very solid. Grizzled vet Frank Shellenback has reinvented himself as a steady closer.

The Portland Beavers, defending AL kingpins, seem to be picking up where they left off in 1935. Roy Weatherly, Josh Gibson, Chuck Klein, and Ray Dandridge are all batting .346 or better. Gibson and Klein have combined for 30 homers at the break, while Weatherly and Klein have 109 RBI between them.

Pat Caraway, stung by his absence from the list of the league's 20 best pitchers, is out to prove he belongs in that fraternity (12-1, 2-44). Paul Baker and Syl Johnson each have eight wins.

And look who's back on top in the Pacific Division: the old reliable Oakland Oaks. As usual. the Oaks are depending heavily on their starting rotation. Ad Liska, Ed Walsh, and young southpaw Skip Campbell are three of the AL's top starters, and Ken Smith is among the game's top relievers.

Chicago White Sox fans aren't used to seeing their boys so far from the top of the standings, but they've had plenty of interesting events to cheer about nonetheless.

In April, the Sox swept a wild three-game set from the L.A. Angels by a combined score of 46-16. On April 23, Oscar Eckhardt went 3-4 with a homer and four RBI to key an 18-1 romp.

The next day, the Sox unloaded 25 hits and beat the Angels 18-7. The 3-4-5 batters in the Chicago order--Arky Vaughan, Eckhardt, and catcher Gus Mancuso--went 15-19, each man contributing five safeties. The Angels manager left poor Hal Smith on the mound until the eighth inning; by then he had thrown 169 pitches, surrendered 20 hits, and allowed 16 earned runs. The White Sox' 10-8 victory on the 25th seemed almost merciful by comparison.

On June 1, Oscar Eckhardt became the third man in history to accumulate 3000 career hits. He ripped an RBI single off Oakland's Zack Corrigan in a 6-1 victory over the Oaks, before 41,716 cheering fans at Comiskey Park.

At age 34, Eckhardt is the youngest player to reach the 3000-hit milestone. On his historic day, the Ox claimed a lifetime average of .323 with 193 home runs and 1485 RBI, and he's among the all-time leaders in two-base hits with 551.

It's possible that two more White Sox might make their 3000th hit this year, too. Ken Rich, the oldest player in history at age 44, has 2971 safeties in his career, but since he's only racked up 10 hits so far in 1936, he'll have to turn up his productivity a notch. Second baseman Wilton Schmitt, the Chisox' first selection in the inaugural draft back in 1920, might have a better shot at reaching his milestone than Rich. Schmitty, a .308 hitter this year, has 87 hits so far. If he equals that performance in the second half, he'll finish the season with a career total of 3001.

And, after spending much of his career in Yankee pinstripes, outfielder Jigger Statz might make history in Cincinnati scarlet. Statz, who came to the Queen City in 1932, needs 34 hits to reach the 3000 barrier.

On June 15, the annual rookie draft was held, and the Kansas City Athletics held the first pick. This year, they took the player everyone expected them to choose: Russian righthander Victor Starffin. The Angels and Giants, drafting second and third, each took "old" rookie pitchers; the Angels selected 29-year-old Spud Chandler, while the Giants chose 32-year-old Jim Turner.

Outfielder/first baseman Tommy Henrich was the first position player drafted. He went to the Cardinals at #11. Brooklyn claimed outfielder Frankie Kelleher with the 13th pick, while Boston grabbed 2B Bobby Doerr one spot later. The Oaks chose third sacker Ken Keltner, while the Yankees added Vince DiMaggio to their outfield corps.

Even if none of the division races tighten up, the pursuit of individual heroics ought to keep baseball fans interested during the summer months to come.