Thriftlon 3: The Return of the Thriftlon

[Syd Thrift]

A's vs White Sox

September 13

White Sox 2, Athletics 1

The Philadelphia Athletics just do not play the spoiler role well. Their chances were slim going into this series and now they're practically non-existent. Today, their bats simply would not wake up against Ted Carson (8-5, 4.56), a career 17-game winner with serious control issues that will likely prevent him from ever being a really great pitcher. He was great enough today, scattering 5 hits through 9 innings despite not being able to strike out a single batter. His opponent, the vastly superior Al Montieth (19-10, 2.68) gave up just 1 more hit than his opponent but added 5 bases on balls to that total.

The White Sox next travel to Boston for a 4-game series, then face the Yankees in a 3-game midweek showdown that will probably decide the fate of the American League pennant. The A's have more or less wrapped up 3rd place money and that's about it for the 1930 and '31 AL champs.

Other Key Games
---------------
Yankees 8, Tigers 5
WP: Johnny Watson (4-1)
LP: Curtis Ballentine (1-4)

The Yankees got a victory they desperately needed, as Watson (4-1, 1.98) and Paul Williams (3-4, 2.64) combined for 4 innings of relief to get one past the Tigers. Detroit, who once looked like a dark horse contender for the pennant, now needs 8 wins in their last 12 games just to finish .500.

Reds 4, Phillies 3

The Reds beat the Phillies for the 11th time this year, clinching a .500 or better against all teams in the league. RF Brad Box (.315, 19, 107) singled in CF Gustavo Castro (.303, 10, 50) in the 9th to win it for Roman Loomis (22-4, 2.20) and spoil an otherwise solid debut for Philadelphia's Kent May (0-1, 4.15).

Cubs 5, Giants 2

Although it wasn't entirely surprising to the writers that Ryan Rush (19-10, 3.36) laid an egg in this one - he after all has just 16 strikeouts in 278 innings pitched - it came at a really bad time for his team. C Earl Schell's (.286, 0, 5) 2-run double in the 3rd proved to be the capper in this one, as the Gothams fall half a game behind the Reds.

Other Notes
---------------
Reds SS Augusto Gonzales (.303, 7, 62) sprained his ankle but will be back in time for the postseason (if there is any for Cincy, that is).

American League Standings

Team                               W       L     PCT      GB    Home    Away    1Run      M#  Streak
Chicago White Sox                  89      53   0.627      -   46-29   43-24   21-21       10     W1
New York Yankees                   84      56   0.600       4  45-21   39-35   24-25              W1
Philadelphia Athletics             76      63   0.547    11.5  36-29   40-34   25-21              L1
Boston Red Sox                     70      71   0.496    18.5  37-31   33-40   22-30              L2
Detroit Tigers                     69      73   0.486      20  36-37   33-36   21-15              L1
Washington Senators                67      73   0.479      21  32-34   35-39   21-22              W4
Cleveland Indians                  55      87   0.387      34  31-43   24-44   19-14              L4
St. Louis Browns                   54      88   0.380      35  28-49   26-39   17-22              W2

National League Standings

Team                               W       L     PCT      GB    Home    Away    1Run      M#  Streak
Cincinnati Reds                    94      48   0.662      -   44-24   50-24   22-21       13     W3
New York Giants                    93      48   0.660     0.5  51-22   42-26   27-15              L3
Philadelphia Phillies              79      61   0.564      14  42-31   37-30   26-14              L1
Brooklyn Dodgers                   63      77   0.450      30  30-44   33-33   16-19              W1
St Louis Cardinals                 63      78   0.447    30.5  27-37   36-41   21-25              L2
Chicago Cubs                       63      79   0.444      31  34-33   29-46   22-23              W1
Pittsburgh Pirates                 62      79   0.440    31.5  27-43   35-36   15-23              W2
Boston Braves                      47      94   0.333    46.5  24-51   23-43   17-26              L1

[Syd Thrift]

Taking a page from the PhillieFever playbook... I always liked his use of color in these things, so now I'm just going to publish screenshots instead of taking the time to format everything. I think it looks cooler anyway.

Giants, Reds Pull Into Tie
White Sox' Magic Number Remains 8



With just eight games to play apiece, New York and Cincinnati have tied themselves into a big knot. From here on out, it's a matter of who wants it more. The Giants, of course, are coming off of a season that some call the best in the history of Major League Baseball. The Reds, on the other hand, have not tasted postseason glory since 1918, long before anyone currently on the team got into the game. In the manner of two clubs that are in it for the long haul, these teams are 11-5 and 12-3 in the month of September, respectively, when you take out the games the played against each other.

The American League race is starting to open up, which is too bad in a way because it was more interesting for a while. Where the Giants and Reds dominate the senior circuit, both the White Sox and the Yankees are very flawed teams. The White Sox lack pitching in the back of the rotation, a problem exacerbated by the loss of Juan Castillo (11-8, 2.78) since July with a shoulder injury. Bob Gordon (10-12, 3.94) has been game as the team's #3 starter but the dean of the Sox staff, who has a lifetime record of 179-153 all with this team, is clearly at the end of his rope. Ted Carson (8-6, 5.17) has a straight fastball that he mixes speeds with, but must have top of the line control to really be effective. That level of control has eluded him this year, as he's yielded 56 walks in 102.2 innings.

The Yankees have had rotation-related issues of their own but that has for the most part worked itself out much better than their AL rivals. Their problem is a lineup that on paper should be tearing the league up but which in reality is just 5th in runs scored. LF Carter Keeton (.321, 15, 68) seems as content to draw a walk in clutch situations as to try to work out a hit; all those years toiling in obscurity in St. Louis may have caused him to lose his winning instincts. 1B Michael Taylor (.269, 6, 50) was supposed to be Keeton's protection in the order but the Bronx native has struggled all year long, even losing half his job to RF/1B Ken Flake (.237, 6, 43), who himself has not shown the 27-homerun power he displayed in Boston last year.

That being said, it looks like, barring a collapse, the White Sox will have the honor of losing to whomever emerges out of the NL. And then both teams will have to look long and hard at how to upgrade this offseason.

[Syd Thrift]

vs.

September 18

Yankees 2, White Sox 1

New York did what they needed to do to keep the AL pennant race alive. Long-time Yankees ace Steve Krug (20-7, 1.58) captured the 9th 20-win season of his career in outpitching Brian East (18-15, 3.06) and bringing his club to within 2 games of the rival White Sox. LF John Faber (.243, 3, 5) scampered in with an inside the park homerun to give his team the winning run in the 7th.

"The boys know that the odds are against us," said Yankees manager Bob Elder, "but I've been in this position before and this time we're going to come out ahead. We're going to get that chance to beat the Giants this year. I just know we are." The Yankees now trail the Sox by 2 games with just 9 left to play.


Steve Krug put the Yankees on his back for this game.

Other Key Games
---------------
Braves 2, Reds 1

This series did not start well for the Reds at all. They need every win they can get, and really should have rolled over the hapless Braves, who nonetheless won their 4th game in the month. SS Henry Adams (.300, 1, 2) drove in both Braves runs and is making a pretty good case for being on the roster next season.

Giants 13, Cardinals 8

The Giants pull the National League lead away from the Reds with this wild game. John Burns (21-13, 3.05) had an uncharacteristically early exit, going just 5.1 innings as he squandered a 7-1 lead, but the Gothams rallied late to send the fans home happy. 6 Giants had multi-hit games, including a 3-hit show from catcher Jim Sundberg (.285, 4, 78).

Other Notes
---------------
St. Louis Cardinals RF Henry Tyler looks to be laid up for the remainder of the year with a strain of his lower back. Tyler (.238, 0, 13) saw his first extended action this season and wasn't able to live up to the promise of his 1932 cup of coffee in which he hit .330 in 91 at-bats.

[Syd Thrift]

vs.

September 19

White Sox 2, Yankees 1

This duel of Pitcher of the Year contenders ended up with the reverse score from the day before. The difference here is, if the Sox stay even with the Yankees, they make it to the World Series. The Yankees have dug them into a quite large hole now; a combination of 5 Chicago victories or Yankees losses clinches the pennant for the other guys.

This one was close all the way through. SS Jeff Davis (.306, 3, 31), who would be the hero of the blue and whites today, belted a three-base hit in the 2nd inning which scored CF Monte LaPointe (.321, 10. 59). This score would stand until the bottom of the 7th, when 1B Michael Taylor (.274, 7, 51), who lost his full-time job in July but has been hitting .436 since then (24 for 55) hit a solo homerun to tie it up. It looked like destiny, but Davis came back in the 10th to nail an improbable homerun of his own to win it.


Jeff Davis was all smiles after delivering Chicago victory today.

Other Key Games
---------------
Reds 9, Braves 6

These Boston Braves are giving the Reds an Indian burn at this late date in the season. The Reds had to come back from a 4-2 deficit in the 7th to win this one. C Ed Townsley (.322, 8, 66) was the player of the game for Cincinnati. He went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, one of which plated the go-ahead run. CF Gustavo Castro (.304, 10, 51) also had a 3-hit game from the leadoff spot.

Cardinals 5, Giants 1

This time it was the St. Louis Cardinals' turn to be the spoilers as Pat Alton (13-17, 3.73) outdueled Lester Willday (2-2, 2.72) for 6 innings and then the Cards' lineup tore apart New York's vaunted bullpen. Braced by CF George Halter's (.275, 7, 54) 19th three-base hit of the season, the Cards erupted for 3 runs in the final 2 innings off of Bob Billington (2-2, 3.18), Tom Kelley (4-1, 0.81), and Takehide Saito (10-0, 1.28).

Other Notes
---------------
With his win today, Bob Hinman became the 3rd player in major league history with 30 victories. He still has 1, maybe 2 starts remaining; if he gets 2 starts and wins both, he would set the new league record.

The Philadelphia Phillies are 65-36 this year when they don't have to face the Reds or the Giants.

[Syd Thrift]

vs.

September 20

Yankees 15, White Sox 1

The rubber game of the series turned out to not be so rubbery after all. The Yankees scorched the White Sox for 9 runs in the 4th, turning the 3rd game into a laugher. LF Carter Keeton (.331, 17, 73), who might be an MVP candidate were it not for his missing the first month of the year with an injury, went an incredible 4 for 5 with 4 runs, 5 RBIs, and 2 homers off of Sox starter Bob Gordon (10-13, 4.15) and reliever Spencer Mayer (1-2, 4.38). RF Eric Luther (.250, 7, 62) also broke out of his season-long slump to net 4 hits in this one.

Both teams get a couple days off before they resume play. Here are their remaining schedules:

Yankees
----------
Sept. 23-24 @ Boston
Sept. 27 @ Philadelphia
Sept. 28-30 Washington
Oct. 1 Boston

White Sox
-----------
Sept. 23-25 @ Cleveland
Sept. 30-Oct 1 St. Louis

Chicago can still clinch by winning each of their remaining 5 games.


Carter Keeton registered two circuit clouts today.

Other Key Games
---------------
Reds 10, Braves 0

The Reds finally had an easy game. They got all the runs they would need in the 2nd, added insult to injury with a 7-run 7th, and then watched Roman Loomis (24-4, 2.15) win his 24th game of the year, complete his 19th, and record his 4th shutout.

It's been quite a ride for the native of tiny Watervliet, Michigan. After a rough 1932, he entered the year barely on the Reds' roster. Following three appearances in long relief, Loomis was inserted into the back of the rotation with the expectation that when Lyndon Key (16-10, 3.43) returned from a mildly sprained elbow, he would go back to the 'pen. Well, Key did return on schedule but while he was out Loomis threw 20 innings in 2 games, giving up just 2 runs in that time. His spot in the rotation secure, he went on to have a breakout season.

We spoke to Loomis before this game. Never much of a talker, he preferred to show us his success instead of just tell it to us. "My trick is, I never throw anything straight." He demonstrated the strange ways that he holds a baseball and even showed us a couple of practice throws. He was right; nothing straight comes from this man's arm. Balls either cut to the left or right or they drop altogether. He's got a couple of different drop-balls that he throws at different speeds.

The results are magical. We don't know what he was or wasn't doing before this season, but he's leading the entire National League in ERA and has somehow managed to insert himself into the Pitcher of the Year balloting even with teammate Earl Crockett's 28 victory campaign. A control expert, he's also 7th in the NL in walks per 9 innings and 8th in walk to strikeout ratio despite not even clearing 100 Ks so far this year. He is also somehow yielding the lowest opposition batting average (.206) in the league.

Other Notes
---------------
Red Sox 2B Bob Coffee (.200, 0, 0) figures to miss another few days with his sprained wrist. The Sox would dearly like to see if he has the stuff to transplant incumbent Earl Race (.259, 2, 50) but he's not making it easy.

[Syd Thrift]

vs.

September 24

Red Sox 2, Yankees 1

If the Yankees don't make it this year, you can't blame it on their pitching. Alan Hack (19-15, 2.46) pitched 8 scoreless innings but faltered just enough in the 9th to hand victory over to the Boston Red Sox, who need just one more win to clinch their 11th winning season in 13 years. This time, though, it wasn't one of the holdovers from the Sox dynasty of the mid-1920s who killed the Yanks. It was 25 year old rookie Jason Moore (4-2, 2.21) who scattered 5 hits and gave up just the one unearned run in the 7th.

The Red Sox were just 8-13 vs. the Yankees this year but got 2 of their victories at the most inopportune times. At the beginning of this month they also stole a win at Yankee Stadium. They went on to lose that series 2 games to 1 but had they been swept, this game would have been to tie the pennant race.

"It ain't over till it's over," said Yankees manager Dan Elder, refusing to believe in magic numbers and similar sabermetric hooey.


Yankee killer Jason Moore killed the, er, Yankees.



Other Key Games
---------------
Cleveland 2, Chicago (A) 1

The Yankees' loss to the Red Sox was particularly damaging in that it came just after New York fans learned of the Indians' improbable Sunday morning victory over the White Sox. Brian Cowell (5-8, 3.56) stymied the White Sox over 9 innings and C Dave Echols (.286, 5, 55) doubled in the only 2 runs the Indians needed.

Giants 13, Braves 2

It's hard to believe that this is the same Braves team that gave the Reds so much trouble earlier in the week. The Giants struck early and struck often, building up a 9 run lead after 3 innings and adding 4 more in the 7th. CF Mason Taylor (.353, 23, 87) went 2 for 4 with a walk, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. Cleanup hitter 3B Emory Jefferson (.307, 13, 96) added 2 hits and 3 RBIs of his own. Thanks to their weekend sweep, the Giants are now in the driver's seat in the NL pennant race.

Reds 8, Cubs 4

The Reds did what they had to do against the Cubs a day after they fell to the same club. Roman Loomis (25-4, 2.22) wasn't quite his normal tricky self but he got the job done and finished the game for Cincinnati. They were also helped by a 2-hit performance from 3B Jay Calvin (.361, 5, 86), who now sees himself in a fight for the NL batting title, and 4 base knocks from 1B Bob Leonhart (.338, 4, 90).





Other Notes
---------------
The Tigers won't finish .500 this year but they've clinched their best season performance since 1926, when they finished 76-78. They've lost 90 games or more 4 times during that span. This year their turnaround is based on power (78 homeruns, good for 2nd in the AL) and speed (66 steals is #1 in the league).

1B Walter Carlson (.198, 1, 20), who was unceremoniously dumped by the Philadelphia Athletics earlier this year despite being just 2 hits away from 3,000, was picked up by the Boston Braves to replace ailing slugger Bill Norman (.288, 17, 57), who will likely miss the season with a hamstring injury. "Sure, there's some publicity involved," manager John Albin told us. "We want to give the fans a chance to see a man break that barrier. But we think Walter can help us as well, now and maybe in the future."

[Syd Thrift]

Standings as of the morning of September 30, 1933:

[NYY #23]

Maybe it isn't over until it's over.

Classy move by the A's, hopefully Carlson gets his 3000th with the Braves. I never seem to post, but good read as usual.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Maybe it isn't over until it's over.

Both of these races have been just plain unbelievable. I'm playing out all the games but I swear to God I haven't been doing anything to make these any closer than they already are. I'm almost reluctant to play the last 2 days (last 1 now) because then it will all be over...

Classy move by the A's, hopefully Carlson gets his 3000th with the Braves. I never seem to post, but good read as usual.

Heh. He *was* hitting .198 with no power, and the A's *were* still attempting to contend. Still, I'd almost forgotten that Philadelphia had let him loose so close to that milestone. And Boston did need a first baseman...

[Syd Thrift]

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
---------------
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
---------------
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.

[Syd Thrift]

October 1

White Sox, Giants Headed To World Series
Both Leagues Avoid Playoff On Last Day
White Sox Reach Series For First Time

vs

Red Sox 11, Yankees 6

Their hitting had been plaguing the Yankees all season long but in the end it was the pitching and defense that laid them low. The irony was deepened by the fact that it was miscues by the team's second baseman that led them into defeat for the second straight year. This time, Arlen Bopp (.267, 1, 28), who himself had been filling in the past month for Mike Kennedy (.260, 7, 55), felt a twinge in his hamstring and left the game. Paul McVey (.260, 0, 4) came in and, though he'd played 65 innings at the position and committed just one miscue prior to this game, he botched two more balls, one of which broke open a 6-6 tie.

Alan Hack (20-16, 2.56) missed half of 1932 with a torn labrum but was 10-1 when he did play. This year he was never quite lucky enough to equal that mark, although his pitching was solid throughout the campaign. Well, other than today. The Yankees broke through against rookie Jason Moore (4-2, 2.53) but Hack just could not keep the Red Sox off the basepaths, yielding 12 hits, 3 walks, and 7 runs in 7 frames before he was removed for relief ace Paul Williams.

vs

White Sox 21, Browns 0

The White Sox have never tasted postseason glory, had not gotten closer than 3 games since 1904, and prior to 1930 had a 20-year run where they had finished higher than 4th twice and within 10 games of the champion just once. So one can be a little bit understanding when they ran up the score against the last-place Browns. "Once we got the first ten runs on the board, everybody got nervous," said C Ashley Wetherell (.262, 3, 56) who went 3 for 6 with 3 runs in this match. "We were all worried we were going to blow the lead and become the laughingstock of the sports world. So we just kept trying to score runs until it became impossible for the other guys to come back."

The Sox blew open a relatively close game in the 4th with 9 runs. This led to the removal of starter John Hall (2-3, 5.30), but the next two men assigned to the Browns' pitching mound fared no better, yielding 8 runs in 3.1 innings. Even with the huge lead, the Sox left Brian East (19-17, 2.89) in to seal the shutout, his 5th of the season and 3rd with Chicago.

vs

Giants 11, Dodgers 2

After the big offensive downturn this year, there sure were a lot of high-scoring games on the final game of the season. The Giants sorely disappointed Reds fans by putting this one away early with a 7-run 2nd inning. CF Mason Taylor (.355, 24, 93) made one last push for the NL MVP award with a 3-5, 2 R, 4 RBI game that featured his 24th homerun, good for 2nd in all of baseball (Chicago White Sox CF Hunter Sunday also has 24).

With 2 consecutive 100-win campaigns, it's hard to believe that these Giants are the same team that, prior to last year, had not gotten closer than 8 games of the NL pennant since 1916 and had not finished higher than 3rd place. Even their 1916 win came in a down year for the senior circuit; their 87 victories is the lowest total in league history for a winner.

Well, that was then and this is now. It looks like the beginning of a Giants dynasty.

vs

Reds 7, Pirates 5

"Best 2nd place team ever" is a hollow distinction to have, but it's all the Reds have to hold onto now. The team learned that their performance would be meaningless early on, but they didn't give up even when there was no reason to play on. 3B Jay Calvin (.361, 5, 88) had 2 hits and drove in 2 runners. He finished the year with 2,741 hits, 7th most in league history.




Jay Calvin, hit master.

[Syd Thrift]

[Syd Thrift]

October 3, 1933

vs

World Series, Game 1

32-game winner Bob Hinman faced off against John Burns, who is just 26 but is hardly lacking in big game experience. Last year he won 2 games for the eventual World Series champs. No new injuries were reported for either side, meaning that the following key players would not be playing for either side:

Chicago White Sox
-------------------
SP Jose Castillo (11-8, 2.79)
SP Ronald Tinter (11-9, 3.17)

New York Giants
-------------------
SP Fred Fleming (17-14, 2.44)
MR Kelvin Inman (5-3, 1.34)
CF Erik Conn (.282, 10, 53)

Few pundits outside of Chicago have given the White Sox a chance to take this. Everybody is pretty much in agreement that they shot of their bullets during the regular season and were lucky just to get past the Yankees in the first place. Additionally, this being an odd year, the Giants get home-field advantage in 4 games of the Series.

In the end, postseason importance proved itself far more effective than in-season greatness. John Burns didn't strike out a man in 9 innings but the game is won by the team that gives up the least number of runs, not the one that makes opposing batters look the most overmatched.

Two straight singles by CF George Echols and SS Mark Melton opened up the game and both men came around to score after Giants SS Benton Wheeler couldn't handle a hard shot from 1B Bob Wolf. Wheeler led the charge in the 3rd as the Giants equalized it with 2 runs of their own. There would have been even more scoring but RF Hunter Sunday threw out P John Burns trying to go from 1st to 3rd on a single.

The very next inning, RF Eddy McCrary got on for the Giants as Bob Wolf committed an error of his own, failing to catch an easy toss from SS Jeff "The Rebel" Davis. C Jon Sundberg then doubled, putting runners in scoring position with no out. Both men came around to score, the first on a single by 2B Britt Grim, the second on a Benton Wheeler sacrifice fly. Wheeler drove in another man in the 6th, doing something to Hinman that had only been done 5 times all season: scoring 5 or more runs off the man. Mason Taylor's solo shot in the 7th added another tally to the proceedings. Hinman would leave the next inning, his seasonal effectiveness seemingly negated by the lights and excitement of October.

[Syd Thrift]

October 3, 1933

vs

World Series, Game 2

Game 2's pitching matchups revealed a fatal flaw in the White Sox' setup. Although Bob Hinman was more than enough to keep them afloat in the regular season, their #2 starter, Brian East, was barely a .500 pitcher for them this year. It's true that he cut his earned run average by nearly a run after moving from the Red Sox to the White Sox (3.26 vs 2.29) but aside from a 22-win 1932 season the man had done little to establish himself as the kind of hurler who could justify starting the second game of a World Series. His career record going into this matchup: 85 wins, 82 losses.

Ryan Rush was also somewhat controversial as a Game 2 choice due to his dwindling ability to get batters out with his pitches. He got just 20 men out on strikes all season, and while his opponents' batting average a solid .262, critics had the temerity to blame this on luck as much as anything else. It's true that if you divided his season stats in half, you end up with the numbers of a guy who could play on the All-Star Team if he played a middle infield position:

600 ABs, 157 H, 25 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 65 RBI, 50 BB

Still, this is not any mean hurler. Rush is a 353 game winner who had also, at the beginning of the Series, started 3 postseason games, more than anyone else on the club save the Giants' Game 1 starter John Burns.

East ran into some early trouble, walking RF Eddy McCrary with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first to score CF and NL MVP candidate Mason Taylor. McCrary was around again with the bases loaded in the 3rd, this time bringing in LF John Montague with a soft grounder to 1B Bill Wolf.

The next inning, Ryan Rush felt a tug in his abdomen and was unable to continue. This wasn't the worst news for the Giants, as this gave them the excuse to throw the game to their bullpen, which was easily the best in baseball. MR Ernie Southwick allowed the White Sox to tie the score up immediately but settled down and closed the door on the visitors before they could do anything else in the 4th.

John Montague blasted a solo homerun in the bottom of the 5th to give the Giants back the lead. Southwick and his replacement MR Takehide Saito shut the Sox down for the next couple innings but they proved that they were not done yet against Giants closer Tom Kelly. Bob Wolf hit a long fly ball and allowed CF George Echols to score the tying run, then 4 batters later C Ashley Wetherell singled in SS Mark Melton for the go-ahead score. At that, it took a fine throw by CF Mason Taylor to cut down Hunter Sunday and keep the Sox lead to just the one run.

But the damage had been done and this allowed the Sox to bring out their own wild card, bullpen ace Mark "Zoom Zoom" Jacobs. Jacobs, who had been acquired midseason from the Cubs, throws extreme heat and struck out nearly a batter an inning with the White Sox (19 in 21.1). He swept in and recorded the last six outs of the game, tying the Series at a game apiece.

[Syd Thrift]

October 6, 1933

vs

World Series, Game 3

Although teams have been traditionally using their #1 starters against each other in Game 3, the Giants went with their #3 man Li Alport. "There just isn't a lot of difference between #1 and #3 on our club," said Giants manager Brian Gerlach. "We think the extra day of rest for John Burns gives us the best chance to win both games 4 and 5."

Once again, the jitters got to Bob Hinman, as he gave up a triple and then a 2-run homerun to the 3 and 4 men in the Giants' lineup. He then proceeded to load the bases on two singles and an error by SS Jeff Davis before shutting the Giants down. Before the White Sox even came to bat in their own stadium in the postseason for the first time ever they were losing. The Sox did get one back on a Gustavo Pena groundout - Pena being one of the few Sox who had seen October before - but it was still a hole they'd have to dig out of.

Emory Jefferson expanded the lead back to 2 runs by driving in leadoff man Benton Wheeler. His 3 RBIs in the game led everyone for the entire Series. Hunter Sunday pushed it back to 1 run with a solo shot in the 4th. Hinman equalized it himself with a 1-out single. Was the Alport choice going to cost the Giants? The Sox turned around and scored 3 more runs in that inning before Eddy McCrary turned in his second baserunner kill, gunning down Mark Melton as he tried to score from 1st on a Bob Wolf double.

Brit Grim brought 2 runs right back in the top of the 5th, and Hinman looked positively shell-shocked. When Mason Taylor tied it right back up again in the 6th, you could hear a collective groan from the Comiskey Park cranks. Little did they know the heroics this rally would inspire!

The tie held into extra innings, and finally, in the 12th inning, the Sox loaded the bases against Takehide Saito. In turn, he did something he had not done all season long: in allowing the game-winning single, he picked up the loss. Chicago could win the Series in their home town by sweeping the last two games.

[Syd Thrift]

October 7, 1933

vs

World Series, Game 4

Although the Giants found themselves down 2 games to 1, they were not worried. "We've been here before," said manager John Gerlach. "You folks forget that we had to come back to win last year's Series as well. "Most of this year too, for that matter. Our guys don't really get really revved up until their backs are against the wall."

Chicago did have a small advantage that was somewhat hidden in the overall records. Although the Giants carried a significantly better starting rotation, the Sox' talent was all in their top two men and their closer. So although Bob Hinman had struggled up to now with a 5.54 ERA, they could still lean on Brian East and closer Mark Jacobs, who had pitched 4 scoreless innings and finished all three games thus far.

The other Sox advantage was that their lineup was keenly geared towards their home stadium. While the Polo Grounds favored power hitters, Comiskey Park with its spacious outfield was a better place for slap hitters and guys who could get the ball into the gaps. This stemmed over to the defense as well; where the Sox could stake a claim to 3 Gold Glovers in the outfield, the Giants had been struggling over the second half of the season with their defense. John Montague was solid if not spectacular in left, but Eddy McCrary was average at best in right and Mason Taylor looked like a corner OFer playing out of position in center.

This really came to light in the 1st inning of Game 4, when the White Sox broke out for 3 runs on 3 2-base hits, running that Giants' outfield ragged. The first one - a screamer down the left-field line - really couldn't be helped. But Gustavo's hit to deep right center probably could have been stopped by a rangier outfielder, and the next ball was a flat-out misplay, a pop up to short center that Mason Taylor tried to turn into an out but which turned into extra bases when it turned out he wasn't quite quick enough.

Brian East managed to give Mark Jacobs his first bit of rest this series, needing only 104 pitches to shut the Giants out on 6 hits and 1 walk. That pipe dream of being able to win this Series in Chicago was looking more and more real.

[Syd Thrift]

October 8, 1933

vs

World Series, Game 5

The next big surprise of the Series - perhaps the biggest - was that Bob Hinman would be used on 2 days' rest to try and finish the series for the White Sox. "He's our ace," said manager Salvador Lopez. "That means we put him out there when we need to win a game." Hinman's struggles, as it happened, may have allowed him this special usage. Normally used to a workload of 140 pitches or more, he threw just 109 in Game 3 and indicated that his arm wasn't quite about to fall off.

"It's my lifelong goal to win a World Series and I am not about to be one of those guys who looks back 20 years later and thinks he could have done more." The key to Hinman's success would be to avoid the gopher ball - although he'd given up just 14 the entire year, he'd already yielded 2 in this Series. This is always good advice for Hinman; his 33 homeruns allowed in 1930 ranks 6th on the all-time list.

Hinman quickly proved unable to avoid the longball. A 3 run homer by Eddy McCrary put the Giants into a 4-0 lead. Ashley Wetherell hit a 4-bagger of his own for the Sox in the bottom of the 2nd to halve the deficit. Still, 4 runs could easily be enough for Giants' starter Ryan Rush to win with; he'd given up 3 or fewer runs in 22 of his 40 regular season starts.

The Sox loaded the bases in the bottom of the 4th with no men out and potential MVP Hunter Sunday at the plate. Sunday led the AL in homeruns and RBIs but was well off pace for a Triple Crown as he hit just .268, his lowest average since his rookie season in 1920. A couple of long hits could mean the Series right here. Sunday hit the ball hard but right at LF John Montague. Out number one. Gustavo Pena then followed up with a single up the middle, but Mason Taylor gunned Mark Melton down at home to prevent the tying run from scoring. This marked the third time in the series Melton was caught on the basepaths. A veteran of the 1930 Series with the Phillies, Melton was expected to provide veteran leadership. Instead, he was providing the Giants with easy outs. CF Monty LaPointe popped out weakly to second to end the threat.

John Sundberg, at that time hitting just 2-17 in the Series, hit a triple with a man on and then came home to score himself to put the Giants back up by 3 runs. Hinman didn't look tired out there, just ineffective. After he gave up a 7th run in the 5th, the Sox roared back again to push 2 runners of their own across the plate on a string of singles. Hinman seemed to get stronger over the next 3 innings, although it may have been too little too late by that time. The Sox pulled him for pinch hitter Tommy "Dark Satanic" Mills in the 7th with men on first and second. During the season, this would have been unheard of in such an early frame. But this wasn't the regular season and it was debatable whether or not this was the same Bob Hinman.

In the 9th, Tom Kelly came in to relieve Ryan Rush, and he appeared to have undergone a similar transformation as Bob Hinman. A Mark Melton single, a Bob Wolf double, and then a Gustavo Pena single tied the game at 7. He recovered to induce two groundouts to end the inning, but the damage had been done and the Series once more went to extra innings.

Mason Taylor delivered his 2nd homerun of the Series in the top of the 10th to put the Giants back in front. That gave Tom Kelly a second chance to close it out but once again he proved unworthy to the task. Three walks and a Hunter Sunday single later, the score was tied and he was out of the game. Takehide Saito picked up the final out to get the Giants out of it. The game went to the 11th.

Mark Jacobs and his rubber arm walked onto the mound, and he and Saito dueled for an inning and a half. Then, following a curious decision to allow Jacobs to hit for himself, he got all the way to second base as C John Sundberg threw his little dribbler down the 3rd base line into the outfield. The White Sox had a man on 2nd with nobody out and Takehide Saito was set to finish the Series 0-2 after going 10-0 in the regular season. After he walked Mark Melton, hitting 10-23 with 3 doubles in the postseason, he was replaced by Ernie Southwick. Southwick, a lefty, faced righty Bob Wolf, who hit it in between the left and centerfielders to drive in the winning run.

It was a historic season for the Sox. 32 wins by Bob Hinman, their first pennant ever, and now their first ever World Series win.

[Syd Thrift]

[Syd Thrift]

Retirements

Dave Macy
Dave Macy was a slap-hitting CF who was just coming into his own when he was hit by a beanball on the afternoon of September 8th. He lost the sight in one of his eyes and while his prognosis otherwise looks good, he will never play baseball again.




Ryan Rush

Ryan Rush hung up the spikes following a 21-year career which will surely land him in the Hall of Fame. He flashed quite a bit of power in his early days, peaking at 190 strikeouts in 1915, but became more and more of a finesse pitcher as the years progressed. With that desire to pitch to contact more came more success. 20 games under .500 at the age of 25, Rush didn't get his first 20-win season in his 7th year in the major leagues and had to wait another 9 years for his 2nd. Although he also had to wait until he was 35 to pitch in his 1st World Series (with Boston in 1929), he ended up playing in 3 of them in all and pitching in 5 games.




Matt Snyder

Snyder's career spans roughly the same amount of time as Rush's, but where "Pinto" Rush's journey was from mediocre youngster to wily and effective veteran, Snyder's career was closer to your standard variety. At age 30, he'd achieved his 5th 20-win victory season and had just gone 40-18 the previous 2 seasons but he'd continue to be a top-level pitcher for just 3 more years. In 1930 he went 16-12 but did so with a 5.18 ERA, 27 homeruns, 77 doubles, and an opposing tri-split of 308/339/475. The control was there, if little else.

Snyder did recover enough to lead the Cubs to the World Series in 1931, although his 3.85 ERA was enough to signal that something was amiss. The past two seasons he just couldn't stay healthy and that is what appears to have led to his decision to retire. His 316 career victories rank 13th all-time.

[Syd Thrift]

Disclaimer: One thing I've kind of been wanting to do is have this fictional league mirror real life a little more closely. So to that end I am going to follow the transaction logs to conduct trades and so on. I considered doing this on an exact basis: for example, in the upcoming trade of Chucky Klein, I was going to have Philadelphia move their right fielder for 3 guys on the Cubs. However, that I think would be a little too random. Instead, I'm going to try and gauge what each team wanted to do in each of their moves and make them accordingly.

Another mitigating factor is that in the real-life 30s the minors were still very, very independent with the exception of the teams the Cardinals owned. However, in my league they operate as full-on farm teams. I'm going to cheat with this and have the teams conduct the trades with their major league counterparts, but where it specifies minor leagues, only minor league players will actually be moved. I don't conduct enough minor league deals anyway...

October 11
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The Brooklyn Dodgers traded Bret McGriff (.233, 2, 11), Alvin Caviness (3-4, 6.55), Rehor Bacurik (2-6, 5.68), and cash to the St. Paul Saints (an affiliate of the Pirates) for Chris Bell (1-3, 5.63 in the minors)

(real life: The Brooklyn Dodgers traded Joe Hutcheson (crappy reserve OFer), Ray Phelps (horrible pitcher), Sloppy Thurston (aging pitcher coming off of a bad year) and cash to St Paul (American Association) for Les Munns (decent pitching prospect, albeit one who didn't pan out IRL).


October 12
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The Cleveland Indians traded SS/3B Carl Kagan (.267, 3, 55) to the Boston Red Sox for SP Roger Sayers (14-18, 3.77).

(The Cleveland Indians traded Bill Cissell (starting middle infielder) to the Boston Red Sox for Lloyd Brown (#2 or #3 starter, veteran guy).)