vs.
September 30
Bob Hinman Wins 32nd, AL Pennant Race Tied Into Last Day
As if the twin pennant races weren't enough for history, Bob Hinman (32-8, 1.70) has set a new mark for pitchers. His 32nd victory breaks the record that was held by Matt August, who went 31-8 for the Giants in 1913 and Rick Chesley, who dominated the National League in its early years, capping things with a 31-3 mark in 1903. Amazingly, neither men are in the Hall of Fame, although the attention brought to them in light of Hinman's run might change that this offseason.
The game itself was pretty uneventful. The Browns got 3 runs off of Hinman in the first 3 innings but then the White Sox and inevitability caught up. The Sox scored 6 runs off of 6 hits in the 5th inning (if this had happened in the 6th, this report would not have been filed as this reporter would have been at the racetrack instead) to get into a lead they would not relinquish. Jeff "The Rebel" Davis (.316, 4, 35) led all Chicagoans with 3 hits, including a double and two runs scored.
Bob Hinman, winningest pitcher of all time.
Other Key Games
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Yankees 4, Senators 3
By the way, Eeyore Meyers also pitched and won his 28th game. With the backs to the wall, the Yankees did just enough to control their own destiny on the final game of the season. A win tomorrow means the worst they can do is challenge the Sox to a one-game playoff. RF Eric Luther (.253, 9, 70) is not having the best season of his career but he did blast a solo homerun and brought another runner home with a productive out to lead the team.
Giants 6, Dodgers 1
It's inconceivable that RF John Montague (.283, 10, 35) will start 1934 the way he started 1933: on the bench. He not only played his way into a job with his stellar second half, if he keeps it up he just might play his way onto an All-Star team. Montague, who had all of 2 homeruns as of August 1, broke double digits in the category today and added a single and a walk in the Gothams' rout of the crosstown Dodgers. "It's just not our season," mused Brooklyn manager Ed Sunderland. "We'll get 'em next year though."
Reds 5, Pirates 2
The Reds got behind their ace and go into the final day of the season needing a victory and a Giants loss to force a playoff. In taking this one, they thwarted Dave Brace's 2nd and surely final chance at 20 wins this year. Had he prevailed, this would have been his 13th 20-victory campaign. As it is, he's a surefire Hall of Famer with 374 wins, just one win from second all-time and 24 away from the record held by longtime St. Louis Browns hurler Buddha Turner.
Other Notes
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Walter Carlson (.201, 1, 21) delivered his 3,000th hit in the bottom of the 2nd inning for the Braves, a one-out triple. In typical Braves fashion, he was left stranded at third and was on deck when CF Kevin Kennedy (.252, 2, 42) popped to short to end the game.