[Big Six]

May 1, 1939

• The hottest team in the big leagues so far is the Detroit Tigers, and the NL Mid-East division leader boasts the league Batter and Pitcher of the Month. First baseman Johnny Mize hit .412 with eight homers and 27 RBI to win his prize, while southpaw Del Ellis won all five of his starts and posted a 1.82 ERA.
  
  
• The Tigers, with their 21-5 record, are already six games in front, but the other three divisions feature close races. The Boston Red Sox and New York Giants are tied for the NL Northern lead, with the Brooklyn Dodgers only a game behind them. In the AL Continental, the Portland Beavers, Seattle Rainiers, and St. Louis Cardinals are bunched just as tightly. And the Sacramento Solons lead the San Diego Padres by a single game in the AL Pacific.
  
  
• Portland's Pat Caraway has pitched like a true ace for several years now, and he was at his best during April. Pat posted a 5-1 record with 31 strikeouts and a 1.74 ERA, and won the American League Pitcher of the Month Award.
  
  
• Hal Trosky patiently waited for his chance to establish himself in the big leagues, but now that he's here, he's proving that he's among the best hitters in the game. The Cubs' first sacker put up a .422-8-27 line and walked away with the AL Batter of the Month prize.
  
  
• On April 11, Kansas City strongboy Jimmie Foxx belted a fastball from the White Sox' Tom Sunkel over the left field fence at Municipal Stadium. It was the 400th career home run for Foxx, who has been with the A's since he was drafted second overall in the 1928 rookie draft. Foxx is the fifth player to reach the 400-homer plateau and, at age 31, he's the youngest to do so. The other 400-homer men are Mule Suttles, Lou Gehrig, Joe Hauser, and Chuck Klein; Suttles and Gehrig have over 500, and Klein is, of course, still active.