MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by captaincarl

The First-Year Player Draft did not come into being until 1965.

Is there a way to get the incoming rookies to file into the free agent pool and then the teams can sign any player that they want and can afford?

In this dynasty the draft has not been introduced yet but I'm still running it "in the game".

When the game runs the draft, I order it according to which teams are the wealthiest so that they can sign the best of the rookies. This is why the Yankees ended up with McCovey.

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

WEDNESDAY, 30 JUNE, 1959

YANKEES DEFEAT ORIOLES,
EDGE IN FRONT OF TIGERS

Story by Louis Greenberg

The Detroit Tigers' season-long 83-day stay at the top of the American League came to an end yesterday as, following a 7-1 Yankees win over Baltimore and a Tigers loss to the White Sox the Bronx Bombers assumed 1st place, though just a half game ahead of the Michigan ballclub. Having started the season with a four-game sweep of the Senators and wins in eleven of their first thirteen outings the Tigers had been in 1st place since opening day but only just failed to keep that lead into the season's second half. They're now in a tie for 2nd with the Blues, who improved to 9-2 in their last eleven games with a 4-1 win over the Athletics yesterday afternoon.

New York was in fine form in accounting for the struggling Orioles, Ryne Duren producing a Player of the Game performance in striking out ten batters and giving up just five hits in 8.2 innings of work, the 30 year-old recording his 10th win of the season. Gil McDougald (2-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR), Hank Bauer (2-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI) and Norm Siebern (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HR) starred at the plate for the Yankees.

By comparison the Tigers were woeful in going down 10-3 to the last-placed White Sox at Briggs Stadium. Starting pitcher Billy Hoeft gave up five runs in the 1st inning and the team made three fielding errors. After going 17-5 in April Detroit has been a .500 ballclub in May (15-13) and June (12-14) combined, a pace that won't be close to good enough if they want to stay in the pennant race.

***

The top of the American League tree,
as at end of play 29 June 1959

1ST: NEW YORK YANKEES 44-31
2nd: Cleveland Blues 44-32 (0.5 G.B.)
2nd: Detroit Tigers 44-32 (0.5 G.B.)

[kenyan_cheena]

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, 30 JUNE, 1959

- LATE EDITION -

CUBS SWEEP GIANTS,
DRAW LEVEL WITH PHILLIES

Story by Brian Davison

There were changes at the top of the American League just yesterday and this afternoon the trend continued as the Chicago Cubs pulled into a tie for 1st place in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley with a 3-0 win, starter Bob Conley pitching a complete-game seven-hit shutout for his 12th win of the campaign. Conley's ERA of 2.46 is 2nd in the majors behind that of teammate Bob Anderson (2.38) but it's likely that only one of them will be on the All-Star roster that's announced on Sunday.

In a tight game the heart of Chicago's offense came through when needed, Dale Long hitting a solo home run in the 2nd before a 6th inning double from veteran Bobby Adams was followed in the next at-bat by an Ernie Banks home run, his NL-leading 24th of the season. Banks also leads the senior circuit with 67 RBI and is 2nd in batting average at .337 behind Cincinnati's Gus Bell (.346). Cubs manager Bob Scheffing has been thrilled by the team's progress through June.

"We came into the month, I think we were five games behind the Phillies," he said. "We've erased that deficit with solid, consistent play and I can't see any reason why we won't continue challenging for the pennant. It's our goal, our ambition and our quest and we ain't shy about letting it be known."

It's been fourteen years since the Cubs last claimed the National League Championship. They came close in '58 but this season's roster looks like it really is capable of returning the ballclub to the promised land. With the White Sox languishing at the bottom of the American League it would be a great story if the Cubs could deliver what has been for so long an elusive World Series triumph for the windy city...

[kenyan_cheena]

1959 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON
LEAGUE STANDINGS AS AT END OF PLAY,
WEDNESDAY 30 JUNE 1959


AMERICAN LEAGUE

1ST: NEW YORK YANKEES 44-32 (.579)
(25-13, 19-19), (.281, 3.89), (408-330)

2nd: Cleveland Blues 44-33 (.571), (0.5 G.B.)
(28-14, 16-19), (.272, 3.83), (373-314)

2nd: Detroit Tigers 44-33 (.571), (0.5 G.B.)
(21-14, 23-19), (.272, 3.66), (359-344)

4th: Washington Senators 40-37 (.519), (4.5 G.B.)
(21-14, 19-23), (.249, 4.06), (370-344)

5th: Boston Red Sox 37-40 (.481), (7.5 G.B.)
(20-19, 17-21), (.239, 3.91), (333-334)

6th: Kansas City Athletics 35-41 (.461), (9.0 G.B.)
(17-20, 18-21), (.251, 4.15), (294-355)

7th: Baltimore Orioles 33-44 (.429), (11.5 G.B.)
(19-23, 14-21), (.253, 4.41), (302-369)

8th: Chicago White Sox 29-46 (.387), (14.5 G.B.)
(15-23, 14-23), (.265, 4.21), (298-347)


NATIONAL LEAGUE

1ST: CHICAGO CUBS 44-33 (.571)
(24-18, 20-15), (.258, 3.50), (381-312)

1ST: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 44-33 (.571)
(19-16, 25-17), (.271, 3.95), (400-357)

3rd: Pittsburgh Pirates 41-35 (.539), (2.5 G.B.)
(23-14, 18-21), (.278, 4.23), (351-355)

4th: Milwaukee Braves 40-37 (.519), (4.0 G.B.)
(24-18, 16-19), (.270, 3.82), (374-329)

5th: St. Louis Cardinals 39-38 (.506), (5.0 G.B.)
(17-18, 22-20), (.243, 3.85), (346-328)

6th: Cincinnati Reds 37-40 (.481), (7.0 G.B.)
(18-21, 19-19), (.260, 4.36), (352-371)

7th: San Francisco Giants 36-40 (.474), (7.5 G.B.)
(18-20, 18-20), (.271, 4.81), (374-396)

8th: Brooklyn Dodgers 25-50 (.333), (18.0 G.B.)
(15-23, 10-27), (.260, 5.74), (328-458)

[kenyan_cheena]

1959 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON
STATISTICAL LEADERS AS AT END OF PLAY,
WEDNESDAY 30 JUNE 1959


AMERICAN LEAGUE - BATTING

AVG

1ST: HARVEY KUENN (DETROIT TIGERS) .370
2nd: Billy Goodman (Chicago White Sox) .357
3rd: Bob Martyn (Kansas City Athletics) .348

OBP

1ST: MICKEY MANTLE (NEW YORK YANKEES) .472
2nd: Harvey Kuenn (Detroit Tigers) .454
3rd: Joe Cunningham (Washington Senators) .451

H

1ST: HARVEY KUENN (DETROIT TIGERS) 101
2nd: Ken Boyer (Detroit Tigers) 92
3rd: Preston Ward (Cleveland Blues) 91

RBI

1ST: YOGI BERRA (NEW YORK YANKEES) 63
2nd: Rocky Colavito (Cleveland Blues) 60
3rd: Ken Boyer (Detroit Tigers) 55

HR

1ST: ROCKY COLAVITO (CLEVELAND BLUES) 27
2nd: Mickey Mantle (New York Yankees) 19
2nd: Ken Boyer (Detroit Tigers) 19

AMERICAN LEAGUE - PITCHING

ERA

1ST: PEDRO RAMOS (WASHINGTON SENATORS) 2.60
2nd: Herb Score (Cleveland Blues) 2.69
3rd: Jim Bunning (Detroit Tigers) 2.88

W

1ST: HERB SCORE (CLEVELAND BLUES) 14
2nd: Robin Roberts (Washington Senators) 12
2nd: Bobby Shantz (New York Yankees) 12

K

1ST: HERB SCORE (CLEVELAND BLUES) 174
2nd: Ryne Duren (New York Yankees) 150
3rd: Jim Bunning (Detroit Tigers) 111

IP

1ST: BILLY O'DELL (BALTIMORE ORIOLES) 169.1
2nd: Frank Sullivan (Boston Red Sox) 165.1
3rd: Herb Score (Cleveland Blues) 164.0

OAVG

1ST: HERB SCORE (CLEVELAND BLUES) .189
2nd: Bob Smith (Boston Red Sox) .217
3rd: Jim Bunning (Detroit Tigers) .222


NATIONAL LEAGUE - BATTING

AVG

1ST: GUS BELL (CINCINNATI REDS) .346
2nd: Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs) .337
3rd: Ted Kluszewski (Pittsburgh Pirates) .331

OBP

1ST: GUS BELL (CINCINNATI REDS) .423
2nd: Gene Woodling (St. Louis Cardinals) .419
3rd: Richie Ashburn (Philadelphia Phillies) .413

H

1ST: JERRY LYNCH (CINCINNATI REDS) 98
2nd: Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates) 96
3rd: Orlando Cepeda (San Francisco Giants) 94

RBI

1ST: ERNIE BANKS (CHICAGO CUBS) 67
2nd: Willie Jones (Philadelphia Phillies) 66
3rd: Orlando Cepeda (San Francisco Giants) 57

HR

1ST: ERNIE BANKS (CHICAGO CUBS) 24
2nd: Willie Jones (Philadelphia Phillies) 22
3rd: Frank Robinson (Cincinnati Reds) 20
3rd: Bobby Thomson (Chicago Cubs) 20
3rd: Joe Adcock (Milwaukee Braves) 20

NATIONAL LEAGUE - PITCHING

ERA

1ST: BOB ANDERSON (CHICAGO CUBS) 2.38
2nd: Bob Conley (Chicago Cubs) 2.46
3rd: Curt Simmons (Philadelphia Phillies) 2.52

W

1ST: CURT SIMMONS (PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES) 14
2nd: Bob Anderson (Chicago Cubs) 13
3rd: Sam Jones (St. Louis Cardinals) 12
3rd: Bob Conley (Chicago Cubs) 12

K

1ST: SAM JONES (ST. LOUIS CARDINALS) 130
2nd: George Witt (Pittsburgh Pirates) 129
3rd: Johnny Podres (Brooklyn Dodgers) 110

IP

1ST: CURT SIMMONS (PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES) 168.0
2nd: Bob Conley (Chicago Cubs) 164.1
3rd: Sam Jones (St. Louis Cardinals) 162.0

OAVG

1ST: SAM JONES (ST. LOUIS CARDINALS) .192
2nd: Juan Pizarro (Milwaukee Braves) .198
3rd: Bob Anderson (Chicago Cubs) .216

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

FRIDAY, 2 JULY, 1959

AGELESS BAUER NAMED
A.L. BATTER OF THE MONTH

Story by Louis Greenberg

After a brilliant form streak 36 year-old New York Yankees leftfielder Hank Bauer was yesterday named the American League's Batter of the Month for June. Bauer has been a key ingredient in the Bronx Bombers' successful rundown of the Detroit Tigers during these last four weeks, the East St. Louis native batting .400 in June, hitting eight homeruns and recording 28 RBI. On the season Bauer is hitting .326, the 12-year veteran genuinely honored when presented with the award at Yankee Stadium yesterday.

"Some folks think I should be hanging my glove up," Bauer said. "But that won't be happening while my love for the game is as strong as it is. They seem to forget that I signed a four-year contract before the season started so I'm not going anywhere. I'm tremendously humbled that the league has seen fit to recognise my efforts with this award. It's something that will really push me to keep performing, to keep on doing everything I can to get the Yankees back to the World Series again."

New York went 16-12 in June, making up 3.5 games on the Tigers and finishing the month a half-game ahead of them in the standings. Bauer spoke on the importance of that achievement.

"It's one of the main things we keep reminding ourselves," he said. "Staying in touch with the pennant race is so vital and making sure that you're there in a good position at this time of the year really helps a ballclub when August rolls around."

***

The American League's Pitcher of the Month award stayed in the hands of the Cleveland Blues with left-hander Don Ferrarese succeeding teammate Herb Score, who took out the honor in both April and May. Ferrarese was only brought into the Bluers starting rotation at the end of May but that didn't stop him being tremendous in June, the 30 year-old going 6-1 with an ERA of 1.60 in seven appearances. Ferrarese averaged over seven innings per start and struck out 29 batters for the month. He's done a fantatstic job of stepping up to be counted on while Score suffered through what was an at-times difficult month, one where he lost his first four starts.

***

Over in the National League Cincinnati Reds rightfielder Jerry Lynch won the Batter of the Month award, hitting .368 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. He's not the type of player that garners a lot of headlines but Lynch has been in great form this season, batting .327 and being numbered amongst the elite hitters in the league. Cardinals hurler Sam Jones was a deserved winner of the Pitching award. Jones was outstanding in both April and May but took his play to an even higher level last month, going 6-1 with an ERA of 2.20 and going deep in every appearance, as the 57.1 innings he pitched indicates.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Washington Post

MONDAY 5 JULY 1959

RAMOS HIT BY LINE DRIVE,
CHEEKBONE BROKEN

Story by Brian George

In a truly frightening moment Washington Senators starting pitcher Pedro Ramos has suffered a broken cheekbone after being hit in the face by a line drive in the 8th inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers at Griffith Stadium yesterday. The 24 year-old Cuban is expected to be out of action for at least six weeks but it must be said the incident could have been so much more costly. One only has to remember what happened to Cleveland Blues hurler Herb Score who was struck in the face by a line drive against the Yankees in May 1957 and missed the rest of the season after sustaining multiple fractures.

Ramos has been the Senators' premier pitcher this season, going 7-4 in eighteen starts with an AL-best ERA of 2.60. No doubt he'll be sorely missed during his time on the DL. At the time of Ramos' injury the Senators were trailing 2-0 but, as if inspired by the incident, they scored one in the 8th and then two in the 9th to win the game 3-2 and improve to 41-39. Ramos was named Player of the Game, having pitched seven innings and giving up four hits while striking out seven.

"All we're worried about is making sure the kid's okay," said Senators manager Cookie Lavagetto. "This is really a pitcher's worst nightmare for something like this to happen and I have to say he's hurting right now. Personally I think that six week estimate is generous but we'll see how he pulls through."

[kenyan_cheena]

MILWAUKEE * WISCONSIN
JOURNAL SENTINEL

Thursday 8 July 1959

PIZARRO INJURES BACK
IN WIN AGAINST REDS

Story by Lomas Robertson

The Milwaukee Braves have suffered another setback in their quest for a third consecutive World Championship with starting pitcher Juan Pizarro expected to be out of action for five weeks following a back injury in yesterday's 3-2 victory over the Cincinnat Reds at County Stadium. The National League's Pitcher of the Month for May, Pizarro was diagnosed with a herniated disc, the injury occuring in the 8th inning. The Braves trailed by one at the time but went on to score a run in the bottom of the frame and then another in the 9th to seal the win.

This will be the second stretch on the sidelines for the 22 year-old Puerto Rican since the end of May, when he was out of action for two weeks with some shoulder tightness. In addition, it's the latest in what has been a number of injuries to Braves pitchers, with former starter Bob Rush (now a member of the Reds) missing four weeks early in the season before Carl Willey, Warren Spahn and closer Humberto Robinson were all unavailable for varying periods in late April and early May. World Series starter Joey Jay injured a bicep in the 1st inning of a start back on the 22nd of June and is still on the DL.

The Braves really cannot afford this latest problem. Pizarro has been a revelation as a starter this season after being used mostly in relief during the first two years of his career. In eighteen starts he's 9-8 with an ERA of 3.03. Admittedly, he was on a five game losing streak before yesterday but he was given little support by his offense in those five outings, the Braves scoring just nine runs combined in them.

"It's just another test for us," said manager Fred Haney, smiling. "It seems to me the baseball gods are doing everything they can to make sure we don't make it back to the World Series this year but we're not going to give up. We're going to keep on fighting no matter what."

The Braves take a 44-40 record into today's opener of a four-game series against the Dodgers and will be looking to string some wins together at the expense of the struggling New York organisation...

[kenyan_cheena]

THE MICHIGAN HERALD

Thursday 8 July 1959

TIGERS SWEEP YANKEES
IN THE BRONX

Story by Michael Fredricks

The Detroit Tigers continued their fantastic start to July yesterday by completing an impressive three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Having won three of four against the White Sox and Senators coming into the series Detroit dominated New York, outscoring them by a combined 29-13 in the three games (8-5 on Monday, 11-4 on Tuesday and 10-4 yesterday). Being a game behind them at the start of the week the Tigers (50-34) have now opened up a two-game lead at the top of the American League, the Yankees falling to 47-35.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the series was that the Tigers received outstanding efforts from different players in each game. On Monday it was rarely starting leftfielder George Alusik's two homers and five RBIs while Tuesday saw Ken Boyer knock in three runs on two hits. Yesterday it was the turn of the man who leads the American League in batting average, Harvey Kuenn. The centrefielder was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI.

For the third time in five starts Yankees pitcher Booby Shantz was knocked out of the game before the end of the 6th inning. He lasted just 4.2, giving up nine hits and six earned runs to see his record drop to 13-7. It was an effort almost identical to that of Whitey Ford in Tuesday's game, when he was also relieved in the 5th after conceeding eight hits and five earned runs.

Without a doubt, Detroit's performances during the last seven days have been a great reply to those who said - after the Yankees gained the league lead last week - that they would now slowly fade from the pennant race. It's clear that they're not going anywhere but up right now and the Yankees still have one gigantic challenge on their hands...

[LFC1892]

49 years later, and its still great to see the Yankees get swept. Good read KC

[mikehoudini]

Wow, Bob Martyn at 348, and Willie Jones still up there in home runs! I'd hate to see a Colavito for Kuenn swap, if I'm a Blues fan, at the end of the year! Enjoyable as always, and tips me closer toward buying the game and trying it out, possibly with a mythical league or at least mythical teams from my juvenile sports books days!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by LFC1892

49 years later, and its still great to see the Yankees get swept. Good read KC

Ha, I'm glad you enjoyed it. That was a great series for the Tigers, especially since it put them back in the lead.

Originally Posted by mikehoudini

Wow, Bob Martyn at 348, and Willie Jones still up there in home runs! I'd hate to see a Colavito for Kuenn swap, if I'm a Blues fan, at the end of the year! Enjoyable as always, and tips me closer toward buying the game and trying it out, possibly with a mythical league or at least mythical teams from my juvenile sports books days!

I'm really eager to see what happens with Colavito 'cause he's off contract at the end of '59. The Blues would have to be insane to let him go, especially now that Mays is also on the roster. They've been wreaking havoc in tandem and they should do everything to let that continue into the future.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Philadelphia Inquirer

FRIDAY 9 JULY 1959

PHILLIES OVERCOME
5-RUN DEFICIT TO WIN
SERIES OPENER IN PITTSBURGH

Story by Tommy Simmonds

Thanks to a balanced afternoon of offense the Philadelphia Phillies fought back from trailing 9-4 going into the 5th to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-9 yesterday at Forbes Field. Four Philadelphia batters recorded at least two RBI with centrefielder Richie Ashburn named the Player of the Game after a 2-for-4, three-RBI effort. Trailing 4-1 in the middle of the 4th the Pirates produced a monster eight-run inning to supposedly blow the game open, the explosion highlighted by back-to-back two-out home runs from Bob Skinner and Frank Thomas off relief pitcher Jim Wilson.

But the Phillies clawed their way back, Granny Hamner scoring Ashburn in the 6th before the deficit was reduced to a single run in the 7th. Pirates starter George Witt walked four consecutive batters to start the frame before Ashburn reached on an RBI infield hit. Willie Jones then grounded into a doubled play that scored Ed Bouchee before Hamner flied out to centre to end the inning. Wilson had recovered from his shaky start to hold the Pirates to just two hits from the 5th through the end of the 7th before his teammates silenced the 30,000-strong crowd in the 8th.

Catcher Stan Lopata hit a lead-off homer to tie the scores at 9-9. Pinch hitter Bob Bowman then singled to shallow centre before Solly Hemus was walked and Wally Post singled to the gap in right-centre to load the bases. Bouchee kept the run going with a two-RBI double down the right field line. After Roy Sievers was intentionally walked the bases were once again loaded and Ashburn singled to bring home both Post and Bouchee, the later just beating the throw to home plate. The score was now 13-9 and although the Pirates escaped the inning without any further damage their fate was sealed. They were held hitless through the final two innings, their fans heading home shellshocked by what they had seen.

The victory was Philadelphia's 50th of the season and improved their record in July to 6-2. At 50-35 they're currently 1.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs (48-36) and 4.5 clear of the Pirates (45-39), who lost their third straight game...

***

Philadelphia Phillies
0 4 0, 0 0 1, 3 5 0 - 13 / 13 / 1
Pittsburgh Pirates
1 0 0, 8 0 0, 0 0 0 - 9 / 12 / 2

[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

MONDAY, 12 JULY, 1959

BRONX SHOCKER:
YANKEES TRADE DUREN TO ATHLETICS

Story by Louis Greenberg

In a move that will no doubt surprise and puzzle many MLB observers the New York Yankees announced yesterday that they had traded Ryne Duren to the Kansas City Athletics for 23 year-old starter Ralph Terry. Originally signed by the Yankees as a rookie back in '56, Terry had been traded to the Athletics in a multi-player deal that had included Duren on the 15th of June 1957. Yesterday's trade sees both players return to the teams they were traded from but is certainly unexpected as Duren was regarded as a major part of the Bronx Bombers' push for a fifth consecutive American League pennant.

When the recent injury to starter Bob Turley is taken into account it's a decision that makes even less sense but the Yankees must believe that Terry offers more than Duren who is, after all, in the final year of his contract. In 22 starts for the Yankees this season Duren was 10-7 with an ERA of 3.76. He'd produced a number of impressive outings recently, giving up just five earned runs in six starts between June 13 and July 4. Duren was 5-1 in those starts and named Player of the Game in four of them. Duren was the starting pitcher for the Yankees in games two and five of last year's World Series, where he was 0-1 with an ERA of 4.26 and fourteen strikeouts in 12.2 innings of work.

Terry had started 23 games for Kansas City before the trade, going 7-9. His ERA was 3.21 and he was named the American League's Player of the Week on the 31st of May, giving up just one earned run in sixteen innings of work while winning two games. It was part of a streak where he was the winning pitcher in four consecutive starts, a streak that was unfortuantely followed by defeats in five of his next six.

It will be interesting to see which ballclub benefits the most from the deal as the season progresses but with the 41-46 Athletics sitting 10.5 games back in 5th place, there's little doubt that Duren has suffered the most for it...

American League standings
as at end of play, Sunday 11 July 1959
(All-Star break)

1ST: DETROIT TIGERS 52-36 (.591)
2nd: New York Yankees 50-36 (.581), (1.0 G.B.)
3rd: Cleveland Blues 49-39 (.557), (3.0 G.B.)
4th: Washington Senators 42-45 (.483), (9.5 G.B.)
5th: Boston Red Sox 41-46 (.471), (10.5 G.B.)
5th: Kansas City Athletics 41-46 (.471), (10.5 G.B.)
7th: Baltimore Orioles 40-47 (.460), (11.5 G.B.)
8th: Chicago White Sox 33-53 (.384), (18.0 G.B.)

[kenyan_cheena]

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

MONDAY, 12 JULY, 1959

CUBS ON FIRE
AT ALL-STAR BREAK

Story by Brian Davison

The Chicago Cubs must be wishing that the Midsummer Classic could be put on hold for a few weeks following the four-game sweep they completed in Cincinnati yesterday. After winning two of the first three games by a single run the final matchup of the set went into extra innings, the Cubs scoring three runs in the top of the 10th to prevail 8-5. The man who was named Player of the Game started it on the bench, 3rd baseman Bobby Thomson coming in as a pinch hitter in the 7th and batting 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI, all on the game-winning home run in the 10th. Veteran 2nd baseman Bobby Adams also came up big when it counted, the 37 year-old hitting a two-out two-RBI double that tied the score at 4-4 in the 7th.

While the win was the fourth in a row for the Illinois ballclub, the loss was the sixth straight for Cincinnati. It's been a terrible last couple of weeks for the Reds. Since getting themselves into the pennant race with a nine-game winning streak in late June, they've gone 3-12 and are now 40-47, eleven games back from the league-leading Cubs in 7th place. They've received outstanding efforts from players like Gus Bell (NL-leading .350 batting average) and Frank Robinson (22 home runs) but at the moment it's amounted to nothing but frustration.

23 year-old Cubs ace Bob Anderson was on the mound yesterday and pitched eight innings, giving up eight hits and four earned runs while striking out five in a no-decision outing. As the starter for the NL in Wednesday's All-Star game he'll be squaring off against Cleveland's Herb Score for the first time in his young career, something that he's really looking forward to. With both the Cubs and Blues competing well in their respective pennant chases it could quite possibly be a preview of game one of the '59 World Series...

National League standings
as at end of play, Sunday 11 July 1959
(All-Star break)

1ST: CHICAGO CUBS 51-36 (.586)
2nd: Philadelphia Phillies 51-37 (.579), (0.5 G.B.)
3rd: Pittsburgh Pirates 47-40 (.540), (4.0 G.B.)
4th: Milwaukee Braves 47-41 (.534), (4.5 G.B.)
5th: St. Louis Cardinals 44-43 (.506), (7.0 G.B.)
6th: San Francisco Giants 40-46 (.465), (10.5 G.B.)
7th: Cincinnati Reds 40-47 (.460), (11.0 G.B.)
8th: Brooklyn Dodgers 28-58 (.325), (22.5 G.B.)

[kenyan_cheena]

The Boston Globe

MONDAY 12 JULY 1959

*** LATE EDITION ***

FAILED EXPERIMENT:
WHITE SOX RELEASE WILLIAMS

Story by Frank Lansdowne

Sitting in last place in the American League, the Chicago White Sox have managed to take some of the attention away from the excitement of tomorrow's All-Star game with the announcement this afternoon that they have released former Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams from the remainder of his contract. Williams took part in his last game for the Illinois ballclub back on the 29th of May and had been playing with the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple A-level American Association since then. In forty games for the Indians Williams batted .244 with three home runs and eleven RBI.

Williams was picked up by the White Sox after being waived by the Red Sox at the end of April having batted .149 in Boston's first twenty games. Chicago's management had spoken of how Williams' "knowledge and experience" would benefit their ballclub but their tune changed quite quickly and "Teddy Ballgame" found himself in the minors just one month later. Considering his hefty contract one might say that the White Sox were foolish in taking on Williams in the first place but they'd be even more foolish to continue to keep him with what his contribution to the ballclub was amounting to.

With Williams turning 41 at the end of August the chances of another ballclub signing him appear to be slim, at best. Perhaps Red Sox ownership will experience a sudden rush of sentimentality and add him to their roster for the remainder of the season. Then again, maybe they'll sign me to start at shortstop...

[LFC1892]

Almost time to say goodbye Ted!

[kenyan_cheena]

THE OHIO EXPRESS

Wednesday, 14 July, 1959

BOYER'S TWO-RUN HOMER
HELPS AL EDGE NL
IN ALL-STAR GAME

Story by Grady McCallum

The American League scored a third consecutive one-run win in Major League Baseball's annual All-Star Game yesterday, defeating the Senior Circuit's squad 6-5 at a near sold-out Cleveland Stadium. Detroit Tigers shortstop Ken Boyer made a big contribution by hitting a two-run home run in the 5th inning, the matchup delivering on the anticipation fans had felt in the lead up. Yankees catcher Yogi Berra hammered a lead-off home run in the bottom of the 1st to get things off to an explosive start while the expected pitching duel between Cleveland's Herb Score and Cubs ace Bob Anderson lasted through the opening three innings, both men giving up four hits and one earned run.

The N.L. tied the scores at 1-1 in the 3rd when Braves catcher Del Crandall singled to bring home his Milwaukee teammate Johnny Temple before they scored three times in the 4th for a 4-1 lead. Back-to-back singles from Giants 1st baseman Orlando Cepeda and Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks were followed by a two-RBI triple down the right field line from Pirates 3rd baseman Frank Thomas. The Pittsburgh slugger then scored on a Bobby Thomson grounder, Senators pitcher Robin Roberts responsible for all three runs.

After a pair of singles from Baltimore's Bob Nieman and Mickey Mantle to start the 5th the American League was back in the game when Washington 1st baseman Joe Cunningham doubled to score them both. They were suddenly in the lead when Boyer hit his two-run shot down the left field line in the next at-bat, the score now 5-4. They added another run in the 7th before the National Leaguers made it an exciting finish in the 9th, Phillies slugger Willie Jones hitting a two-out RBI-double to make it 6-5. But they fell short as Reds rightfielder Jerry Lynch grounded out to 3rd to end the game.

As was the case in last season's edition of the Midsummer Classic, Yankees superstar Mickey Mantle had a great afternoon, batting 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. In another repeat of last year, Blues champion Rocky Colavito missed out batting clean-up behind Mantle, the 25 year-old going 1-for-4. Del Crandall was the pick of the National League's hitters, batting 3-for-3 with an RBI. His fellow Milwaukee Brave Hank Aaron had a quiet game, held hitless in three at-bats. Without a doubt, it was a fantastic afternoon of baseball, enjoyed by all who attended.

"It's always a great day," said Mantle afterwards. "Guys wear this as a badge of honor but more than anything it's an afternoon where we can relax a little bit more and just enjoy the game for what it is. Once it's over we're right back into the serious stuff, the pennant race. So I always try to enjoy the day as much as I can."