MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

[mikehoudini]

Herb Score back at the top of his form, Willie (Puddinhead) Jones with at least 15 homers, and Ted Williams waived! Great uni, and I guess I know what game I'll be buying next! When you start adding fictional players, a slugger named Mel Turnbow would possibly be a great addition!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by captaincarl

Your write ups continue to be terrific reads. You are doing a great job.

Thanks for the kind words, cc. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Originally Posted by mikehoudini

Herb Score back at the top of his form, Willie (Puddinhead) Jones with at least 15 homers, and Ted Williams waived! Great uni, and I guess I know what game I'll be buying next! When you start adding fictional players, a slugger named Mel Turnbow would possibly be a great addition!

Yep, it's been an eventful season so far. I know I said in one of the initial posts that I'd only be doing about six stories for each season but I've found that there are too many interesting things going on that I want to write about. Even so, I'm happy with it because each article is not especially long and doesn't take that much time to write.

I should be posting the sign-up thread within the next two weeks. I just have to sort out a format I'll use for the player creation.

Thanks for taking an interest in my dynasty, Mike.

[Jeff1787]

Sign me up!!!!!!!!!!! I will definitely be in on this one....

[kenyan_cheena]

MILWAUKEE * WISCONSIN
JOURNAL SENTINEL

Monday 24 May 1959

***Late Edition***

ADCOCK NAMED
N.L. PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Story by Lomas Robertson

The day started with news that former starting pitcher Bob Rush had been picked up by the Cincinnati Reds but ended on a more positive note for the Milwaukee Braves as 1st baseman Joe Adcock was announced as the National League Player of the Week. Having made a slow start to the season Adcock caught fire during the last seven days, the defending League MVP batting .429 with nine RBI and four home runs. It was easily his best week of the season and, unsurprisingly, it was the same for the Braves. They went 5-2 to improve to 21-22, finishing with a pair of blowout wins in Philadelphia over the weekend.

Adcock was devastating in both games, hitting 3-for-4 with two home runs in Saturday's 12-6 win and 3-for-5 with two more homers and four RBI in Sunday's 10-1 decimation. On the season he's batting .298 with ten home runs and nineteen RBI, those numbers showing what a huge improvement he made last week. Adcock would be the first to admit that he'd struggled through the season's opening but spoke of his determination to become more of a factor as it progresses.

"I don't want folks to think last year was just a fluke," he said. "It's been my goal to back it up with the same consistency this season. I hadn't been able to do that but I was really happy with my performances last week. Hopefully it's the start of a turnaround for me. But I know it's not all about me, and that whatever I do won't mean much if we aren't competitive. We may not have made the kind of start we were hoping for but we aren't out of it, by any stretch. We fought hard to get to this place, fought hard to achieve and win and be able to call ourselves two-time defending World Champions. We aren't going to give it up without one helluva fight, either."

No doubt, Milwaukee fans will have been ecstatic with Adcock's current form. It will be interesting to see if he can maintain it during the coming weeks...

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

FRIDAY, 28 MAY, 1959

YANKEES DECIMATE ORIOLES
IN SERIES FINALE

Story by Louis Greenberg

Thanks to some explosive batting and a complete game gem from Whitey Ford the New York Yankees recorded a comprehensive 13-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles yesterday afternoon in the final matchup of a three-game series in the Bronx. The Yankees made the most of an inactive day for the American League-leading Detroit Tigers, improving to 25-19 and once again shortening the gap between themselves and the Michigan ballclub to three games. The Yankees were well served by 2nd baseman Gil McDougald and veteran catcher Yogi Berra with McDougald batting leadoff and going 2-for-3 with four RBI, including a three-run homer in the 4th inning. Berra also produced a three-run shot, his coming in the 8th. Berra leads the Bronx Bombers in both home runs (14) and RBI (39), numbers that are both near the top of the American League leaderboard.

On the mound Ford was in total command, holding the Orioles to seven hits while walking four and striking out four, throwing 150 pitches. He's now 6-4 on the season with an ERA of 3.63. Ford was named Player of the Game for the third time this season. In twelve starts the four-time All-Star has failed to reach the eighth inning just once and, unsurprisingly, is ranked in the top ten in the majors for innings pitched with 98.2.

Oklahoma-born centrefielder Mickey Mantle is considered the real superstar of the Yankees lineup and he also had an impressive outing, batting 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI. The 27 year-old is hitting .368 on the season with thirteen home runs and 31 RBI and spoke of how important it was for his ballclub to stay in touch with the Tigers through these early months of the season.

"It's one of the things we've picked up from years of experience in these pennant races," said Mantle. "You can never underestimate the importance of April and May. If you just coast on through it can come back to bite you in September. We're a ballclub that's enjoyed a lot of success and we're relishing the challenge that the Tigers are providing us with."

The Orioles were 17-18 back on the 16th but since then have lost nine of ten (including yesterday's massacre) to fall to 18-27. It doesn't get any easier for them as they face visits to Detroit and Washington during the next seven days. The Yankees still have ten more games to play on this current home stand, starting today against the White Sox and continuing next week when the Blues and Senators come to town...

[kenyan_cheena]

The Philadelphia Inquirer

SUNDAY 30 MAY 1959

PASCUAL MESMERIZES CUBS
AS PHILLIES WIN AGAIN

Story by Tommy Simmonds

Continuing a golden streak of form the Philadelphia Phillies won their fifth consecutive game yesterday, defeating the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in front of almost 29,000 fans at Connie Mack Stadium. The victory was also their ninth in eleven outings and allowed them to stay three games ahead of Pittsburgh at the top of the National League standings. In a tight matchup it was the superb pitching of Camilo Pascual that made the difference, the 25 year-old Cuban native giving up seven hits and one earned run while striking out four batters in 8.2 innings of work.

It's been a great turnaround for the Phillies during these last couple of weeks. After exploding out of the blocks in April they surrendered the league lead to the Pirates earlier this month but have picked up five games on their western Pennsylvania rivals in the last eleven days, Pittsburgh struggling to a 4-7 mark over that period. The two teams are scheduled to meet in an important four-game series at Forbes Field next week.

Pascual is quite an interesting character. He started his career with the Washington Senators in '54, more often than not used as a relief pitcher, a role in which he struggled as his ERAs of 6.14 in '55 and 5.87 in '56 attest to. Just when he appeared to be making progress he was traded to the Phillies last July but has continued to improve in his new home. Pascual started all 41 games he appeared in last season, going 16-17 with a career-low ERA of 3.37. He signed a one-year extension in January and is an impressive 7-3 in thirteen starts this season, his ERA 3.12.

Yesterday's game was scoreless through six innings before Philadelphia put two on the board in the 7th, a Joe Lonnett single bringing Granny Hamner home before Lonnett himself scored on a double by Solly Hemus. Both teams scored a single run in the 8th to bring about the final result. 3rd baseman Willie Jones continued his recent struggles, batting 0-for-3 with a walk. There was a belief back at the beginning of the month that he might challenge Rocky Colavito's home run record of 73 after smashing fourteen in April while batting .382. Most if not all of that talk has dried up as Jones has managed to clear the fences just twice during May, his average dropping to .290. He has recorded 42 RBI, which is nothing to turn one's nose up at, ranking 2nd on the team in that category behind rightfielder Wally Post (43, .309).

"Puddin' Head doesn't care one bit about that home run record," Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer said recently in regards to Jones. "You know, the guy has given his heart and soul to this ballclub his whole career. Started here back in '47. He was on the team that went to the series in '50 and there's nothing he wants more than to get another shot at it. That means more to him than anything, just helping this team get back to the World Series."

It would be an unexpected and fantastic achievement if the Phillies are able to attain that goal of returning to the Fall Classic this season. As it is, Pennsylvanian baseball fans are in heaven right now with the Phillies (32-16) and Pirates (29-19) leading the way in the National League...

[kenyan_cheena]

BASEBALL WEEKLY

Monday 31 May 1959

VOLUME 25, ISSUE 22

HOUSTON AND QUEENS AWARDED
NATIONAL LEAGUE EXPANSION TEAMS

Story by Jerome Hamilton,
published in the 31 May 1959 issue of BASEBALL WEEKLY

Last Friday Major League Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick announced that Houston and the New York borough of Queens had been chosen as the locations for the two expansion teams joining the National League in 1962. The news finalised the field of four that will join the Majors, with Los Angeles and Minnesota having already been confirmed as recipients of the American League franchises. The decision to award a team to Queens appears to have been made some time ago but it was only in the last couple of weeks that MLB came to the conclusion that Houston was a more viable proposition than its northern Texas bidding rival Dallas. Houston-born and raised oil tycoon Lucious King is the sole owner of the ballclub. He's a man with a passion for baseball, money and success and has said he'll be doing everything he can to make the team a winner "as soon as possible". It's been confirmed that, besides being the first Major League Baseball team in Texas, the Houston franchise will also be the first in any sport to play in an enclosed structure with the construction of a "domed" stadium scheduled to begin in July.

New York attorney William Shea is excited about bringing baseball to Queens and re-igniting the National League NYC rivalry that had been in place for so many years before the Giants moved to San Francisco last year. Shea spoke of his anticipation over challenging the Dodgers for local bragging rights, despite the current troubles the Brooklyn ballclub is enduring. It's possible that it could be a more heated rivalry than that between the Giants and Dodgers, as Brooklyn and Queens are Long Island neighbours. Those who followed the story of the Dodgers almost joining the Giants in California will remember that Shea actually attempted to purchase the team from Walter O'Malley and move it to Queens before O'Malley made the surprising decision to stay put. At the time O'Malley did not take kindly to Shea's advances so there seems little chance that he'll be rolling out the welcome mat come '62.

Elsewhere, Las Vegas businessman Kelvin Molk has wasted little time in preparing for his Los Angeles franchise's entry into MLB. He relocated his family to the Ventura County city of Oxnard in March and has already enamoured himself to the local community, staging a number of promotional events to build excitement over baseball's eventual arrival in Southern California. It's believed Molk has come to an agreement to build a new 60,000-seat stadium on the site where Wrigley Field currently sits in downtown Los Angeles. The 34 year-old venue will be demolished in August, with construction on Molk's venue set to start in November.

[kenyan_cheena]

MILWAUKEE * WISCONSIN
JOURNAL SENTINEL

Monday 31 May 1959

***Late Edition***

BRAVES' BRUTON BREAKS KNEE,
WILL MISS REST OF SEASON

Story by Lomas Robertson

The trials and tribulations of the 1959 Milwaukee Braves continued this afternoon as centrefielder Bill Bruton suffered a horrific season-ending knee injury while running the bases during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park. The incident happened in the 8th inning. The fleet-footed Bruton had hammered a liner into the corner in right field and was hustling to make it a triple. He broke his knee when sliding into 3rd base, his cleats getting caught up in the dirt. Bruton lay on the ground in agony for some minutes before being stretchered from the field. The Braves went on to win the game 10-5 but the result was the furtherest thing from manager Fred Haney's mind.

"It's just a terrible shame," he lamented. "Bill's not just a great player, he's a great person. You couldn't meet a nicer guy. I wouldn't want to see this type of thing happen to anyone but in his case, it's just heart-breaking."

Bruton is 33 years old and had been enjoying a terrific afternoon and a fantastic season. He ended the game 3-for-5 with two runs scored and, if he sees no more action beyond today, finishes the year with a .293 batting average, eleven RBI and nineteen runs scored. He was leading the league in stolen bases with nineteen, Yankees star Mickey Mantle and Philadelphia's Richie Ashburn trailing him on twelve.

The unfortunate news will remind Milwaukee fans of Lew Burdette, the 1957 World Series MVP who also ran foul of a season-ending injury last July. His turned out to be career-ending, also. One can only hope the same fate does not await Bill Bruton. He signed a three-year contract extension in August and it would be a tragedy if he never again plays for the team he started his Major League career with back in 1953. Following the releases of both Bob Rush and veteran 2nd baseman Red Schoendienst in the last two weeks, the Braves have now lost a trio of players who contributed significantly to last season's World Championship triumph...

[kenyan_cheena]

1959 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON
LEAGUE STANDINGS AS AT END OF PLAY,
MONDAY 31 MAY 1959


AMERICAN LEAGUE

1ST: DETROIT TIGERS 32-18 (.640)
(19-6, 13-12), (.276, 3.59), (242-213)

2nd: New York Yankees 28-20 (.583), (3.0 G.B.)
(18-8, 10-12), (.279, 4.01), (245-210)

3rd: Washington Senators 28-21 (.571), (3.5 G.B.)
(19-8, 9-13), (.256, 4.04), (264-215)

4th: Cleveland Blues 28-22 (.560), (4.0 G.B.)
(17-8, 11-14), (.268, 3.64), (237-190)

5th: Kansas City Athletics 24-26 (.480), (8.0 G.B.)
(11-12, 13-14), (.254, 3.86), (196-217)

6th: Boston Red Sox 21-28 (.429), (10.5 G.B.)
(11-12, 10-16), (.230, 3.87), (182-208)

7th: Baltimore Orioles 19-30 (.388), (12.5 G.B.)
(9-13, 10-17, (.250, 4.50), (178-236)

8th: Chicago White Sox 17-32 (.347), (14.5 G.B.)
(10-16, 7-16), (.263, 4.48), (190-245)


NATIONAL LEAGUE

1ST: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 32-18 (.640)
(14-11, 18-7), (.279, 4.12), (280-249)

2nd: Pittsburgh Pirates 29-21 (.580), (3.0 G.B.)
(14-9, 15-12), (.286, 4.42), (245-248)

3rd: Chicago Cubs 27-22 (.551), (4.5 G.B.)
(12-10, 15-12), (.258, 3.54), (242-192)

4th: St. Louis Cardinals 26-23 (.531), (5.5 G.B.)
(16-11, 10-12), (.245, 3.73), (220-199)

5th: Milwaukee Braves 24-26 (.480), (8.0 G.B.)
(13-12, 11-14), (.270, 3.82), (245-214)

6th: San Francisco Giants 23-25 (.479), (8.0 G.B.)
(14-12, 9-13), (.282, 5.17), (247-260)

7th: Cincinnati Reds 23-26 (.469), (8.5 G.B.)
(10-13, 13-13), (.272, 4.36), (233-239)

8th: Brooklyn Dodgers 13-36 (.265), (18.5 G.B.)
(9-17, 4-19), (.260, 6.33), (214-325)

[kenyan_cheena]

1959 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON
STATISTICAL LEADERS AS AT END OF PLAY,
MONDAY 31 MAY 1959


AMERICAN LEAGUE - BATTING

AVG

1ST: HARVEY KUENN (DETROIT TIGERS) .385
2nd: Mickey Mantle (New York Yankees) .375
3rd: Billy Goodman (Chicago White Sox) .360

OBP

1ST: MICKEY MANTLE (NEW YORK YANKEES) .540
2nd: Harvey Kuenn (Detroit Tigers) .480
3rd: Joe Cunnigham (Washington Senators) .462

H

1ST: BOB MARTYN (KANSAS CITY ATHLETICS) 65
1ST: HARVEY KUENN (DETROIT TIGERS) 65
3rd: Vic Power (Kansas City Athletics) 61

RBI

1ST: YOGI BERRA (NEW YORK YANKEES) 43
2nd: Rocky Colavito (Cleveland Blues) 39
3rd: Gail Harris (Detroit Tigers) 38

HR

1ST: ROCKY COLAVITO (CLEVELAND BLUES) 16
2nd: Mickey Mantle (New York Yankees) 14
2nd: Ken Boyer (Detroit Tigers) 14
2nd: Yogi Berra (New York Yankees) 14

AMERICAN LEAGUE - PITCHING

ERA

1ST: HERB SCORE (CLEVELAND BLUES) 1.75
2nd: Pedro Ramos (Washington Senators) 2.65
3rd: Billy Hoeft (Detroit Tigers) 2.74

W

1ST: HERB SCORE (CLEVELAND BLUES) 12
2nd: Bobby Shantz (New York Yankees) 9
3rd: Gary Bell (Cleveland Blues) 7
3rd: Robin Roberts (Washington Senators) 7
3rd: Don Cardwell (Washington Senators) 7

K

1ST: HERB SCORE (CLEVELAND BLUES) 108
2nd: Ryne Duren (New York Yankees) 90
3rd: Whitey Ford (New York Yankees) 71

IP

1ST: HERB SCORE (CLEVELAND BLUES) 113.1
2nd: Billy O'Dell (Baltimore Orioles) 112.2
3rd: Frank Sullivan (Boston Red Sox) 107.1

OAVG

1ST: HERB SCORE (CLEVELAND BLUES) .180
2nd: Ralph Terry (Kansas City Athletics) .225
2nd: Billy Hoeft (Detroit Tigers) .225


NATIONAL LEAGUE - BATTING

AVG

1ST: ROBERTO CLEMENTE (PITTSBURGH PIRATES) .368
2nd: Gus Bell (Cincinnati Reds) .366
3rd: Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs) .346

OBP

1ST: GENE WOODLING (ST. LOUIS CARDINALS) .457
2nd: Gus Bell (Cincinnati Reds) .437
3rd: Willie Kirkland (San Francisco Giants) .422

H

1ST: ROBERTO CLEMENTE (PITTSBURGH PIRATES) 74
2nd: Gus Bell (Cincinnati Reds) 67
3rd: Orlando Cepeda (San Francisco Giants) 66

RBI

1ST: ORLANDO CEPEDA (SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS) 47
2nd Willie Jones (Philadelphia Phillies) 45
3rd: Gus Triandos (St. Louis Cardinals) 44

HR

1ST: FRANK ROBINSON (CINCINNATI REDS) 17
1ST: WILLIE JONES (PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES) 17
3rd: Orlando Cepeda (San Francisco Giants) 13
3rd: Frank Thomas (Pittsburgh Pirates) 13

NATIONAL LEAGUE - PITCHING

ERA

1ST: JUAN PIZARRO (MILWAUKEE BRAVES) 2.09
2nd: Jack Fisher (Milwaukee Braves) 2.31
3rd: Bob Conley (Chicago Cubs) 2.39

W

1ST: BOB ANDERSON (CHICAGO CUBS) 9
1ST: CURT SIMMONS (PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES) 9
3rd: Fred Green (Cincinnati Reds) 8
3rd: Juan Pizarro (Milwaukee Braves) 8

K

1ST: GEORGE WITT (PITTSBURGH PIRATES) 90
2nd: Sam Jones (St. Louis Cardinals) 89
3rd: Bob Anderson (Chicago Cubs) 67

IP

1ST: FRED GREEN (CINCINNATI REDS) 108.2
2nd: Curt Simmons (Philadelphia Phillies) 108.1
3rd: Bob Conley (Chicago Cubs) 105.1

OAVG

1ST: JUAN PIZARRO (MILWAUKEE BRAVES) .191
2nd: Sam Jones (St. Louis Cardinals) .192
3rd: Bob Conley (Chicago Cubs) .221

[kenyan_cheena]

The Cleveland Courier

TUESDAY 1 JUNE 1959

- LATE EDITION -

CLEAN SWEEP!
BLUES DUO TAKE OUT
PLAYER OF THE MONTH AWARDS!

Story by Larry Jacobson

The Cleveland Blues had reason to celebrate today as they achieved a sweep of the American League Player of the Month awards for May. Pitching phenomenon Herb Score took out the award for the second month in a row while 1st baseman Preston Ward was named Batter of the Month.

Score's win was unsurprising as he currently represents the standard others are trying to reach in all of baseball. He leads the American League in every significant statstical category and was 6-1 during May with an ERA of 1.63, pitching a No-Hitter against the league-leading Detroit Tigers on the 22nd. It's been some time since the sport has seen such a fantastic start to a season and it will be fascinating to follow Score's progress through the rest of the campaign.

As for Ward, he looked to be in a state of shock when informed of the news this morning in New York. He needn't have been as he was brilliant in May, hitting .316 with an OBP of .412. He knocked in 21 runs and on the season to date he's batting .313 with twelve home runs and 33 RBI. Ward has done a great job of "picking up the slack" for the Blues in the absence of the injured Willie Mays and Minnie Minoso. Hopefully the PotM award will encourage Ward to maintain his current level of play during what will be a vital period leading into next month's All-Star break. The Blues had an extra innings win against the Yankees yesterday and were scheduled to continue the three-game series this evening before concluding it tomorrow afternoon.

***

In the National League a pair of youngsters excelled during May. 22 year-old Milwaukee Braves starter Juan Pizarro was named Pitcher of the Month and 21 year-old San Francisco Giants 1st baseman Orlando Cepeda took out Batter of the Month honors. Pizarro was 6-1 with an ERA of 1.97, striking out thirty hitters and pitching a complete game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds on the 15th. Last season's Rookie of the Year, Cepeda won his fist BotM award today after batting .376 with eight home runs and 27 RBI. Cepeda currently leads the senior circuit in RBI with 47 and is 3rd in home runs with thirteen.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Yep, it's been an eventful season so far. I know I said in one of the initial posts that I'd only be doing about six stories for each season but I've found that there are too many interesting things going on that I want to write about. Even so, I'm happy with it because each article is not especially long and doesn't take that much time to write.

I should be posting the sign-up thread within the next two weeks. I just have to sort out a format I'll use for the player creation.

Thanks for taking an interest in my dynasty, Mike.

Just caught up with some of the rest of the dynasty. Great stuff as well always KC. I've never really played OOTP and I don't much like baseball but I looking forward to signing up for this as it's been fun following.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Just caught up with some of the rest of the dynasty. Great stuff as well always KC. I've never really played OOTP and I don't much like baseball but I looking forward to signing up for this as it's been fun following.

Glad to hear that, Romy.

[kenyan_cheena]

THE OHIO EXPRESS

Wednesday, 2 June, 1959

BLUES STUN YANKEES
WITH LATE COMEBACK
TO TAKE SERIES

Story by Grady McCallum

In one of the most exciting games of the season the Cleveland Blues produced a fantastic late rally to defeat the New York Yankees 10-9 last night. Playing in front of a hostile Bronx crowd of 44,186 the Blues overcame a 7-2 6th-inning deficit to take the win and draw level with the Yankees in 2nd place in the American League. After scoring once in the 7th Cleveland took the lead with a five-run outburst in the 8th, those runs coming when five consecutive batters reached base, including Player of the Game Bobby Avila (3-for-4, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB). The Yankees snatched back the lead with two in the bottom of the frame but a two-out 9th-inning double by veteran outfielder Larry Doby and a single by Rocky Colavito (his only hit of the game) made it 10-9 to the Blues, relief pitcher Tom Acker sealing the win for his sixth save of the season.

May's American League Batter of the Month Preston Ward had another impressive outing, batting 3-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored while Colavito was walked three times by the Yankees, who wasted a great performance by rightfielder Hank Bauer (2-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI) and what had been a commanding seven innings of pitching by Bob Turley. Blues starter Gary Bell was knocked out of the game in the 4th, having given up six earned runs and throwing 102 pitches. Blues manager Joe Gordon was ecstatic about the win, praising his team's never-say-die attitude and determination.

"They could have just played the game out and looked to tomorrow," he said. "But they knuckled down and got themselves back into it and finished it off brilliantly. I have to say I'm really proud of this performance."

Having won Monday's opener 3-2 in ten innings Cleveland (29-22) has a chance to take outright 2nd place when the series concludes this afternoon. No doubt the Yankees (28-21) will be keen to avoid what would be a disheartening home losing sweep.

Cleveland Blues
0 0 2, 0 0 0, 1 5 2 - 10 / 11 / 3
New York Yankees
3 3 0, 1 0 0, 0 2 0 - 9 / 12 / 2

[kenyan_cheena]

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

FRIDAY, 4 JUNE, 1959

CUBS' BATS RUN RED HOT
IN SLAUGHTER OF CINCINNATI

Story by Brian Davison

The Chicago Cubs recorded their fifth consecutive victory yesterday, opening a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds with an explosive 16-2 massacre. Chicago's batters were in devastating form, smashing six home runs with three of them coming in a seven-run 2nd inning. 35 year-old centrefielder Bobby Thomson had hammered a solo shot in the bottom of the 1st for the first run of the day. Johnny Goryl started the 2nd inning slaughter with a two-run shot before Dale Long's three-run bomb cleared the fence in left field, the Cubs scoring five runs before a single out had been recorded in the inning. Rightfielder Lee Walls hit a two-out, two-RBI bullet into the seats in Wrigley's right field some ten minutes later, making the score 8-0.

The Cubs added four more in the 4th to make it 12-2, shortstop Ernie Banks and catcher Sammy Taylor both homering in the frame before another quartet of runs came in the 8th, a pair of doubles from Gene Oliver and substitute leftfielder Chuck Tanner completing the devastation. Every single Cubs starter recorded at least one hit, with Banks the pick of the bunch batting 3-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI, increasing his season tally in that category to 46.

While the offense was on fire Chicago's starting pitcher Bob Anderson was also in fine touch. The 23 year-old went seven innings, giving up just a pair of hits and two earned runs while walking three and striking out four. The win was his tenth on the season and seventh in his last eight starts. Anderson's ERA is currently 2.63 and he's on track to obliterate the thirteen wins he had in '58.

"These are the kinds of days we all wish for," said Cubs manager Bob Scheffing. "Everything was in perfect harmony for us: offense, defense and pitching. It was a fun day for us."

Without a doubt, the 36,473 fans in attendance would have agreed with him. The Cubs are now 30-22, 3.5 games behind the league-leading Phillies (34-19). They'll remain at home for the next ten days as after the current series against the Reds finishes on Sunday they'll host the Braves and Dodgers in a pair of three-gamers next week...

[kenyan_cheena]

The Pittsburgh Gazette

Monday, 7 June, 1959

PIRATES UNLOAD ON PHILLIES,
GAIN GROUND IN N.L. RACE

Story by Michael Thomas

The latest round of the Battle For Pennsylvania has gone to the team from the west, with the Pirates winning 8-2 yesterday at a sold-out Forbes Field to secure a 3-1 series win. It was an exciting conclusion to what has been a fantastic four-game set, with Pittsburgh taking out games one and two by a single run (9-8 in ten on Thursday and 4-3 on Friday) before the Phillies pulled one back on Saturday, winning 3-2. Yesterday's game appeared to be heading to another nail-biting finish with Philadelphia leading 2-0 in the middle of the 6th but the Pirates exploded with five in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by Bill Virdon's two-out three-run homer. Then in the 7th they added three more, Ted Kluszewski and Bob Skinner producing back-to-back home runs to the delight of the crowd.

Pirates starter Bob Friend pitched a complete game and was named the Player of the Game, allowing seven hits, two earned runs and striking out two on 116 pitches. The win improved his record to 7-5, his ERA now 4.25. The Phillies really had trouble against him as 22 of their outs came on grounders.

"This was a really important game for us," said Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh. "We had a terrible series in Brooklyn to start the week so we needed to get back the ground that we lost there. Winning this series 3-1 has helped with that."

Indeed, the Pirates poor form at Ebbets (where they suffered a three-game sweep) cost them their grip on 2nd place, the red-hot Cubs usurping them. It will be interesting to see how this exciting race develops in the weeks to come.

Philadelphia Phillies 35-21
Chicago Cubs 32-23 (2.5 G.B.)
Pittsburgh Pirates 32-24 (3.0 G.B.)

[kenyan_cheena]

The Boston Globe

FRIDAY 11 JUNE 1959

SMITH PLACED ON DL
AFTER TRICEP INJURY

Story by Frank Lansdowne

Already struggling to keep pace in the American League pennant race, the Boston Red Sox were dealt a devastating blow yesterday when 32 year-old starting pitcher Bob Smith suffered a tricep muscle injury in the game against Chicago at Fenway. Red Sox medical staff have said that Smith could be out for as many as seven weeks. For now he's been placed on the 15-day disabled list but no one doubts his stay there will extend beyond that period.

The injury occured in the 7th inning of what looked like being a complete game shutout, Boston leading 1-0 with Smith holding the White Sox to just five hits while walking four and striking out two. The Massachusetts ballclub went on to win by the same scoreline and Smith picked up the PotG award. He's been one of the few highlights of Boston's season to date, leading their starting quartet with an ERA of 3.28, his record 7-4 in fourteen starts.

The win clinched a series victory for Boston and was their third in four games, seeing them improve to 26-32, nine games behind the league-leading Detroit Tigers. They're also nine games down on the pace they set last season, where they eventually finished a surpising 2nd in the American League at 86-68. Such a performance looks unlikely in '59, even at this stage of the season. Some have pointed to the release of the legendary Ted Williams on April 29 as a bad move, but since then the team is 19-19. It's an improvement on the start they made but nowhere near good enough to be competitive. Williams' replacement in leftfield Leon Wagner has been solid if unspectacular, the 25 year-old batting .244 with three home runs and nineteen RBI.

"I don't want to talk about Teddy," said an aggitated Pinky Higgins when questioned about his team's plight following yesterday's game. "I'm only interested in what I can control, which is trying to get this team into the pennant race. Today was a success for us but we're up against a trio of ballclubs who are above us in the standings during the next week or so which will give us a chance to make up some ground."

Those three teams are the Blues, Yankees and Senators. The Red Sox will play host to Cleveland in a three-game series starting today before visiting the Bronx for a pair of matchups and then finishing off next week with a four-day stay in our nation's capital. Clearly, it's a vital stretch of their schedule, one that could catapult them into the top half of the league...

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

SATURDAY, 12 JUNE, 1959

BAUER AND SHANTZ SHINE AS
YANKEES HAMMER DETROIT

Story by Louis Greenberg

New York Yankees rightfielder Hank Bauer will turn 37 on the 31st of July but he shows no signs of slowing down, continuing a golden streak of hitting yesterday during the Bronx Bombers' 10-1 victory over the Tigers at Briggs Stadium. Bauer batted 2-for-3 with a solo home run and three RBI, also walking twice. Including yesterday's outing Bauer is a fantastic 14-for-21 in his last six games, knocking in eight RBI and hitting three home runs. He's batting .320 in '59 with nine home runs and 27 RBI.

The Yankees consistently harassed Detroit, scoring in six different innings with two runs being the most they produced in any one frame. Standing in for regular catcher Yogi Berra, Elston Howard was 3-for-5 with three RBI but the real star for New York was starting pitcher Bobby Shantz. In eight innings of work he held the Tigers to four hits, striking out four and walking five on 123 pitches. Shantz is now 11-4 on the season with an ERA of 3.01. The 33 year-old was named Player of the Game for the sixth time this season, an impressive feat considering he's made sixteen appearances.